dwagner6's Profile
Nice but without pretension birthday dinner
Maybe Lucques? I know its an oldy, but I still enjoy it...
Indian Cusine - Would like to make at home!
I have to second Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks... they will get you way past the standard Indian restaurant fare in most American places. One book I have, "From Curries to Kebabs" explores very regional dishes with really interesting histories and stories behind each one. Plus, it will give you some insight on how to use some of the more obscure ingredients at that Indian Market.
Indian hors d'oeuvres
When I ate my only home-cooked meal in Udaipur, the family there just served some bowls of namkeens to us, sort of like a salty snack mix that comes with different ingredients based on what "mix" you get, ie: Delhi Mix, Bombay Mix. Much tastier and a tiny bit spicier than something like Chex mix, and good with pre-dinner drinks. Any Indian market and some other Asian markets will have it in the snack aisle.
Pea Sprouts?
If you are keen on making a pureed pea soup, try adding some blanched shoots to the peas and puree them. It will make your soup bright green, and give it even more of a bright, fresh pea flavor.
Best fresh-roasted coffee beans near Torrance?
I'm a big fan of Groundwork, and when I'm in Hollywood I purchase a pound or two. But I live in Torrance, and I need to find a place closer by that sells fresh-roasted beans (ie: not the Ralph's near me). Anyone have any good tips? Thanks!
Question: making mint simple syrup
One method that might be good if you want to maintain a bright green color is to make the simple syrup by itself (equal parts water and fine sugar), then blend it with a good amount of torn mint leaves, like a good handful or more. Cooking or even just adding mint to hot water will make it a little brown-ish, but this method will puree the leaves and keep the green color. Strain the finished syrup through a fine strainer, or through a coffee filter.
White rice from Indian restaurant
And to get the right consistency, always use less than the recommended amount of water. More like 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, or a touch less of water.
Problems with Homemade Pasta
Just sounds like you need to add a little more moisture, whether its an egg yolk our a couple tablespoons of water. Recipes for pasta dough are not exact because different bags of even the same AP flour may have absorbed different amounts of moisture from the air.
But, if your dough is stiff, it always means you need a little more moisture. Also, once you've kneaded it for 15 minutes or so, you want to let it rest for a while before you roll it out and cut it.
Cold-smoked salmon freshness question
The "TDZ" applies to any food that can support bacteria growth, cooked or uncooked. This means any food, cooked or uncooked, that has the right amount of moisture and protein, and is neutral to slightly acidic. TRUST ME, it applies to cooked AND uncooked foods.
Tunisia
My SO and I are headed out to Tunisia (after spending about three months in Paris) for a couple weeks, and we haven't had much time to sample Tunisian food offered here in Paris. What should we be on the look out for?
We're basically seeing a major slice of the whole country while we're there, from the north in Tunis down to Douz (though not quite making it to the Sahara). What are some "only in Tunisia" type foods we should be eating, and where are they?? Thanks!
What is your favorite CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP kitchen gadget
I just stumbled upon this thread and don't have time to scan the whole thing, but just thought I'd throw my favorite in.
A serrated vegetable peeler (sometimes marketed as a soft fruit peeler). It will zest a lemon and leave you with zero bitter white pith, great for peeling mangoes and peaches with zero effort. And I bought mine for like $6 at a restaurant supply place on the Bowery in NYC.
Best camera for food photography?
I have found the macro mode on my Canon Powershot G9 to be great for photographing dishes. Its use above ISO 400 is pretty poor, but it takes pretty good low-light shots for almost-pocket sized camera. Much better than busting out the DSLR in the middle of the meal.
Cold-smoked salmon freshness question
Seriously, that is so wrong. Do NOT just assume that because you leave fish at room temperature and it doesn't smell or feel weird that it is fit to eat. It is antithetical to anything taught in the most basic food safety certification courses, and it is just wrong.
KNOW how long something has been in the "Temperature Danger Zone" of 41-140 degrees, and make your judgement from there. Restaurants must throw out any food that has been in the TDZ for more than four hours.
Bacteria multiply at an exponential rate, and all it takes is one to spawn millions.
Re-freezing previously frozen cooked chicken.
This sounds like something that may not be so good. Things you must consider:
1. The total time the chicken has spend in the "Temperature Danger Zone" which is from 41-140 degrees Fahrenheit. If the chicken, after it was roasted, while being made into pot pies, then cooled and frozen spent more than four hours in this zone, it would be unfit to serve in a professional establishment.
2. How long have you had the pot pies before you froze them? In restaurants, the general rule on leftover but cooked food is one week max. Take that into consideration. Freezing does not kill bacteria, only pauses them wherever they're at.
cooking classes in Paris
I was looking at taking a class from Atelier des Chefs a little while ago. All classes are one-day, but vary depending on the number of dishes being produced. Plus you get to eat afterwards, of course. But what got me interested was that the prices were really reasonable.
http://www.atelierdeschefs.com
How to bake pumpkin pie without a crust
Exactly, its just a pumpkin custard. You might want to make sure the pumpkin pie filling recipe has enough egg yolk and creme in it so that it will not come out shapeless from its baking container.
Also, definitely make sure to butter the baking dish very well.
sorbet without alcohol?
This is a little late from your posting, but try using rhubarb! Just chop it into chunks, place in a sauce pan with water not even to cover, and cook gently until it falls apart. Add sugar to taste, maybe even slightly sweeter than you'd normally go for. THEN, strain it with a chinois or china cap. This way you get a brilliant pink sorbet, but not stringy rhubarb stalk in there. Plus the natural pectin in rhubarb lends a creamier mouthfeel.
Have I finally cracked crackling?
I have a feeling there will be no crisping while the meat is in a water bath for 2.5 hours. Maybe the 15 minutes might do some crisping to the skin. You should go even longer on that 15 minutes if necessary. Place it under a broiler if possible. Make sure the skin isn't covered, and roast it really high to finish it off, as the braised meat will barely be affected by the extra eat the crisp the skin, especially if you save all the juices to serve the meat with.
bechamel vs. cream sauce for mac n' cheese
Cream will, obviously, give you a creamier mouthfeel and much more body. The bechamel will be filling but has the potential to be grainy if not made properly, and to not be seasoned enough. I say use a porportion of both. if you have cheddar and gruyere, you have plenty of seasoning from those with some salt and pepper added later on. If you have a recipe that normally uses X amount of bechamel, cut it in half and reduce some cream enough to make up for the missing bechamel. The bechamel, cream, and cheeses should mingle enough anyway that you don't need to do anything but mix them together before putting them in a casserole or whatever you do.
Paris - Unique, memorable, and not wildly expensive?
Was just at Le Temps au Temps on Thurs (Oct 9th) and it was a great time, the food good but not inventive or magical. The terrine du jour was dry and hard, and my GF's entrecote was quite underdone. My pork ribs were caramelized and amazing, however. And the desserts were great. The wine list was quite broad and amazingly affordable. Would definitely recommend it. The man (didn't get his name) manning FOH did an awesome job juggling all 20-24 seats.
Ginger Beer in Jackson Heights
As an aside, last time I was at The Islands in Crown Heights they had the best home-brewed ginger beer I've ever had. Combined with the amazing, meltingly good jerk chicken with peas and rice, I died. Literally, died.
Best red velvet cake?--not cupcake!
Gotta second the Cake Man Raven. I went there before some movie at BAM, mistakenly thinking a slice would be a good snack during the show. Man...I was winded and comatose halfway through the showing. So moist and good, though.
Five Guys Burgers & Fries - Anyone Been?
This burger is a great value. Not the best by far, but seriously the price is well worth it. Even the location at the DC airport was great in a pinch, last time I flew through.
Best cubano Manhattan
I'm still a big fan of Cafe Habana, which was only mentioned a couple times in this thread. Dependable if anything, and delicious. Gotta add my vote.
Great spice vendor in the city?
I'm very surprised the first response wasn't Kalustyan's. They're on Lex and 28th. And they have everything, literally. The turnover is great, they even roast many of their own spices. I know for a fact they dry their own ingredients for their various powders (tomato, etc). Cannot recommend enough. http://www.kalustyans.com
You haven't heard the last of Mei Lai Wah!
Went by MLW Weds afternoon-ish. 30 minute wait on some baked pork buns! Bought a few steamed pork instead, just as delicious IMO. So glad they are back.
food service gloves
Many places on Bowery have a limited selection of paper and disposable goods, including latex or vinyl disposable gloves. My favorite place to pick them up when I'm in need is at Bowery Restaurant Supply, on Bowery and Delancey.
Best Jerk Chicken in Brooklyn?
I really loved my jerk chicken at The Islands. The peas and rice that came with it was great, and the house-brewed ginger beer is awesomely spicy. So good!
New to Fort Greene Area
Thank god someone else here doesn't like Franny. I couldn't STAND the pretension when I was there, and thoroughly despised the offer of a $4 (or whatever the exact price) drizzle of olio verde on the pizza. Seriously! The pizza was not that good! Everything way overpriced, the service was not memorable.
Drinks in Williamsburg?
I really like Harefield Road just off the Graham Ave stop on the L. Plenty of places to sit, tons of beer on tap. Though, the furniture is all wooden and uncushioned.
