souvenir's Profile
In search of a 2 quart sauce pot
Williams-Sonoma used to carry this 2qt "rice pot" model by All-Clad,
http://www.all-clad.com/collections/Stainless-Steel/rice+pot.htm?index=30
I love it, and use it all the time. You might contact A-C and ask if it is still sold anywhere.
It looks like W-S sells this wider shape and slightly larger pot instead now,
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-copper-core-grain-and-bean-pot-2-quart/
Buying champagne/sparkling in Paris
Not too far from where you will stay is the historic wine shop, Legrand:
http://www.caves-legrand.com/index.asp
http://www.galerie-vivienne.com/en/index.php?q=legrand
I have happily bought many bottles of Champagne there.
French? Cheddar? cheese at BiRite
Merci, :).
I tasted the Fiscalini 24 month old bandage wrapped cheddar recently and when I read your description, it just sounded like it could be it... even though your hostess said it was French. I know Fiscalini cheeses have been at Bi Rite before so thought I would toss it into the guessing pool.
ps. if you are interested in trying something I would call a cross between aged cheddar, parmigiano (they say) and (I say) fontina, try their San Joaquin Gold.
French? Cheddar? cheese at BiRite
Did it look at all like this?
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cheese/cheese2/fiscalini-farmstead.asp
Eat your salad after the entree?
What are the ingredients in the salad? Ate you serving anything else with the fish?
Tomato Sprouts Inside Tomatoes: Found any?
Interesting. The format I am used to seeing, and from my current box:
14 MAR 2012
These aren't Eurofresh, but Costco stores here in Northern California do source from them, and I thought Eurofresh boxes used the same format. Costco here offers Houweling (sometimes from Oxnard, sometimes from Vancouver B.C.), and Eurofresh (from Arizona). Maybe it's a California labeling requirement to have a consumer legible pack date?
Anyway, the reason why I asked is because I was trying to figure out how long the tomatoes had been in their clamshells. In my experience, if humidity is high, then the method of green stems stored upside down is not good. I open the clamshell in the store to examine all the tomatoes before selecting one. Otherwise I've had the experience that the label obscures bruised or damaged tomatoes.
When I get home, I open the clamshell box right away because in my experience, the clamshell in my south-facing sunny kitchen makes too humid an environment and accelerates spoilage.
We eat 1-2 lbs a week so that is how long I am trying to keep them in ripe, but not too ripe condition. I occasionally end up with a prunish tomato, but don't remember a Campari that had sprouts. Other larger tomatoes on the vine, I have had that creepy sprout experience and usually handle by cutting the center area out and oven roasting the rest of the flesh of the tomato.
Tomato Sprouts Inside Tomatoes: Found any?
Caroline1- what is the "packed on" date on the clamshell? -sou
"Best Quality" Olive Oil Advice Please
The comments in this thread made me curious enough about California Olive Ranch's olive oil harvest and sell dates that I went over to their web site to see if they had any information posted about this.
According to the blog portion of their web site, as of a March 16 post, they were close to releasing their 2011 harvest but hadn't done so yet,
http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2012/03/16/our-miller-bob-explains-how-he-blends-our-new-oils-so-they-taste-just-right/
They have another product that they call "limited reserve" which is available sooner and has a shorter shelf life,
http://consumers.californiaoliveranch.com/2010/11/20/our-limited-reserve-evoo-is-now-avalaible-to-order/
but according to this post, that product doesn't go to store shelves.
I'm glad you mentioned them. I found their web site really interesting. It's a brand that's readily available around here so I'll have to look out for an opportunity to taste test their different offerings.
Harissa - Whoops - It's powdered
True (easier). And it's how I've always done it so far. Lately, I have been interested in checking out variations, so the powder method seems pretty easy as a first step. I'm also interested in making Paula Wolfert's recipes,
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/homemade-harissa-recipe.html
http://www.paula-wolfert.com/books/slow_rev.html
and this one cited by Clifford Wright:
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/recipes/display/recipe_id/729/
Harissa in the Sacramento area
From a Home Cooking thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841303
My information is kind of old, but I do remember buying harissa in the tube (imported from France) at Corti Brothers before. Has anyone purchased it there recently? The last time I bought harissa was at Sunshine Market in St Helena. It was the Mustapha brand in the jar which has a very different texture from the tube kind (which Sunshine also carries).
I would assume the international markets on Fulton, near Arden, if my memory is correct, carry harissa? Or has anyone purchased it anywhere recently? I haven't been shopping in Sacramento lately, so I thought I would throw out the question to know for the future.
Thanks! -sou
Harissa - Whoops - It's powdered
Hi tafttiger,
I'm going to respond to the where can I get the paste part of your question on the California board, because I am curious to see what others in the Sacramento area have to contribute.
About making the paste from powder- I have been planning to buy a powdered version from Whole Spice in Napa (located in the Oxbow market) the next time I am there. Here are their instructions:
http://www.wholespice.com/display.asp?id=1938
ETA: here is the link to the other thread
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841357
"Best Quality" Olive Oil Advice Please
My understanding is that extra virgin olive oil, unopened, stored properly, has a shelf life of 2 years. So assuming that it was a late fall harvest, say November 2010, then it's sell by date would be November 2012. Of course this is assuming that both the producer and all points in between have stored the unopened bottles properly.
Campari tomatoes -- tried them yet?
I'm assuming you are writing about the 2lb Costco amount? If that is so, and you have a Trader Joe's by you, look for "Pearl" tomatoes. They taste and look the same as Campari tomatoes to me. They are usually $2.99 in 1 lb clamshell containers in Northern California stores. I have also seen smaller amounts of packaged Camparis; at smaller stores, but for much higher prices.
"Best Quality" Olive Oil Advice Please
Surfas! I haven't been there in ages. Good to know it is still there.
I do like Bariani, though I haven't had any in awhile. Our "house" everyday oil (used for cooking, roasting) is the Kirkland/Costco one that's been cited in the UC Davis olive oil tests as being what it says it is.
For drizzling or dipping purposes, we usually have only a few smaller bottles of extra virgin olive oils with different characteristics at a time so that they get used before going bad.
"Best Quality" Olive Oil Advice Please
My first reaction is if you like Bertoli and are happy with the results you get with it, then I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find "something better". If it pleases your palate, that is the most important thing, in my opinion.
On the other hand, if you are interested in trying other olive oils to get a sense of the range of tastes available, and want to learn more about olive oil, then that is a different issue.
I think this web site could be helpful to you, particularly the Buyer's Guide section,
http://www.extravirginity.com/great-oil/how-to-buy-great-olive-oil/
Have you read earlier related threads? Here's one fairly recent one:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/833074
From your posts, it looks like you live in the LA area? You might want to start a post on the LA board and ask about stores or other locations where olive oils are available for free tasting. I live in Northern California, but am frequently in other parts of the state. I always keep an eye out for local olive oils, tastings, etc. and over time have discovered some wonderful oils (to me).
One note about tasting. Some places are better than others in how they store and serve olive oils available for tasting. If open bottles have been exposed to air and light for very long, it's not really a fair taste of the olive oil.
Chefs' cookbook ghost writers
I'm very interested by your description of what all is in this book, and glad you mentioned it.
Birthday dinner in Sacramento
Yes, it sounds like The Kitchen wouldn't be a good option for your husband.
I haven't been to Hawks yet, have heard good things about it. Checking out the food and drink menus currently posted on their web site, I am reminded I need to try it!
Another place I haven't been to in quite some time, but have had some nice celebratory meals there is Enotria. Not for a big birthday dinner, but more for catching up with friends I haven't seen in a while.
Birthday dinner in Sacramento
Noticed in your earlier posts that you like Waterboy (me too), but didn't particularly enjoy Ella. I do like Ella, so it is with a bit of caution that I suggest Selland's The Kitchen
http://www.thekitchenrestaurant.com/
I haven't been in Sacramento on my birthday, but if it happened, this would be at the top of my list.
Measuring Spoons - are there any on the market that aren't pure Chinese junk?
I have Amco stainless measuring spoons that are several years old (my guess would around 10-12). They are quite sturdy and were made in Japan. It looks like the same style by Amco is now made in China. Perhaps on ebay or etsy or ?, you can find the version produced in Japan. They are clearly marked on the back of each spoon so the seller should be able to check them.
New Whole Foods, what should I buy?
The 365 store brand dried pastas are generally really good and an excellent value (99 cents to 2 dollar range).
I've found some nice wines there I haven't found elsewhere in the ~$10-15 range (usually as part of some holiday sale).
I look at their ads and stop by accordingly. WF for me is a periodic rather than regular stop because closer markets are pretty great (including non-chain stores, farmers markets, coops and produce stands).
Which LC piece should I add next?
I have the 3.5 qt buffet and use it for gratins. I like the round shape, that it has a lid, and the location and size of the handles. I also use it for searing, then braising, so for me the buffet is more multi-purpose than a gratin would be.
AMEX comercial
Not sure I understand your comment. You consider this sourcing out?
http://www.bouchonbakery.com/thomas-keller
http://bakingbites.com/2011/02/a-tour-of-the-bouchon-bakery-yountville-ca/
Sacramento's best fruit and vegetables?
8am-Noon.
http://www.california-grown.com/Market-times.html
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Your reaction is pretty similar to mine about holding Bravo accountable.
____
And, for what it's worth, Grayson, who was there, gave her opinion on twitter:
Darrell W. Robinson @dwr_55
@Graysonschmitz 'Top Chef: Texas' reunion: Did Sarah tell Emeril Lagasse to 'f-- off'? Also, worst Fan Favorite ever. popwatch.ew.com/2012/03/08/top…
Grayson Schmitz Grayson Schmitz @Graysonschmitz
@dwr_55 I really don't think that she did,.....Sarah Jayne doesn't roll like that;) @chefsarahjayne
4:04 PM - 8 Mar 12 via Twitter
4h Darrell W. Robinson Darrell W. Robinson @dwr_55
@Graysonschmitz Neither do I,it's just the opinion of 1. And I can't get that frog song out of my head! EW wasn't very nice 2 Chris either.
Top Chef Texas -- Reunion
There is another alternative, and that is to simply to have a hard time believing production staff "reports."
I don't always watch reunion shows. Is this common for them to report that someone on the production staff heard something, but not offer any audio evidence? If it happened when the other judges were right there, why didn't one of them speak up and say they heard it?
They had just spent the lead-off segment showing how deserving Paul was. They already had plenty of mean girl audio and video; why go the extra distance to stick this in?
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
nope. x is a turd appears to have been removed (or my brain has happily skipped over it). "x is an asshole" is still up on the 2/29 thread. "dumb bitch" is on the reunion thread.
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
I don't either.
What I do remember being used is:
"dumb bitch"
"asshole"
"turd"
and used in terms of X is an asshole.
So this is chowhoundworthy? Because these characterizations are all still up there, representing.
Top Chef Texas -- Reunion
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/bios
Ed - 39
Keith - 39
Heather - 40
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
I thought it might be interesting to look on opentable.com and check availability for the two establishments for 2 people and 4 people from tonight through the weekend. It does actually turn out that there is less availability for Sable than Aria. I don't know the room capacity of either location. If anyone knows, are there more tables at Aria?
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Yes, my second paragraph recognizes that.
