foodsmith's Profile
Visiting Portsmouth, NH
Btw, if you want truly fine dining seafood, I wouldn't bother with JJ's, but Surf in Portsmouth pretty much owns that category now. Between them and Petey's, I'm not sure there's room for anyone else.
Visiting Portsmouth, NH
Broiled haddock at Petey's aint fried, and it's a heck of a lot fresher than what Jumpin Jay's has, IMO.
What's good in Newmarket, NH?
Some thoughts on this.
1) Rocky's in New Market, I am a vegetarian (pescatarian) so I can't comment on the burgers, but the fries and the onion rings are exceptionally good and hand cut.
2) Anneke Jans was sort of ho hum for their fish (Cod), but their desserts are top notch (get the bread puddings).
3) Tulsi is actually temporarily shut down in order to move down the block to a larger venue. Coming from NYC, I'd say they're overrated, however compared to what's in Portsmouth, and the surrounding area, they're definitely very good. Still the food is overly heavy IMO, too much oil, and the service was pitiful and rude.
4) Get the Scoop, well full disclosure the owner is a friend of my family. I think they do a great job, and they're one of the best places in the area. It's not the most authentic French crepe, but that's not what they're going for.
5) Las Olas is a favorite of mine, not because the food is amazing, but because it's reliably consistent, always fresh, and just tends to hit the spot. I'll have to try Loco Coco's.
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Anneke Jans
60 Wallingford Sq., Kittery, ME 03904
Get the Scoop
80 Main St, Newmarket, NH 03857
Visiting Portsmouth, NH
Two places you missed are top of the line, Four, and Surf. Both are better than any of the places mentioned on your list. For fish I'd skip Jumpin Jays and head a few miles south on the coatline to Petey's. I'd also stop at Shio for sushi from owners who moved here from Queens, and who also hire their chefs from NY. There's a new ice cream place on State St. worth trying, FYI, I don't see dessert on your list, and Annabelle's environment is not so hot IMO. Have fun!
What's good in Newmarket, NH?
"Get The Scoop" is a great crepe, ice cream, and breakfast shop. It's right on the main street, highly recommended!
Where can I get wild Maine blueberries in seacoast New Hampshire or York county ME?
I'm in the Portsmouth area, where would I go to get wild Maine blueberries? I am not so interested in picking them as I have limited time, however if that's my only option, then I'll consider it. I'm working on a pie and I just feel it will be better with the wild blueberry variety that are smaller.
Just received a package of Wise poultry 2nd day air from UPS, can it be frozen?
Had the drumbstick package. Delicious. Cooked it simply with garlic, roasted. I've had Wise many times before, but moved away from a store where I could get it, so now I decided to order it. I know a huge foody, who's Swedish, and who is not Kosher. He makes a lot of money and can buy any food he wants. He only buys Wise when shopping for his home cooking, and he is a trained French chef.
Just received a package of Wise poultry 2nd day air from UPS, can it be frozen?
Actually just checked my order confirmation from their web site. They do freeze it and then send it in insulated packaging with gel packs. By the time they arrived (2nd day air), the gel packs were thawed, and so was the chicken. So I imagine it's safe to eat, but cannot be frozen again, and must be cooked, the sooner the better.
Just received a package of Wise poultry 2nd day air from UPS, can it be frozen?
I am unclear as to whether Wise freezes their chicken prior to sending it with ice gels? If they did, it means I cannot freeze it now, and have to keep it refrigerated while cooking it as fast as possible. Does anyone know? Their office is closed at 1pm on Fridays.
What kind of dough should Tarte Tatin be made with?
Again just wondering, aren't phyllo and puff pastry different? I think I've had it many times with puff pastry, and loved it.
What kind of dough should Tarte Tatin be made with?
Thanks but isn't phyllo different from puff pastry? I believe they are two different techniques.
What kind of dough should Tarte Tatin be made with?
I'm confused as to whether it's traditionally made with tarte crust or puff pastry dough? The best examples I've had seem to be using the latter, although that would mean it's really a tarte.. Thoughts?
I just bought a marble slab for pastry making, but it has a chip in it, is this a problem? [moved from Home Cooking board]
I noticed when I took it out of the package that it had a small chip in it that is rough when you run your finger over it. The chip is the size of an eraser on a pencil. Is there any risk of the marble chipping further and entering the dough that I make on it? The rest of the slab is smooth and it's big enough that I can probably work around it.
The slab is made in Taiwan, which was hard to find since most are made in China and I have no faith in Chinese products, especially things that tough my food, due to the quality control issues they've had over there as of late. Thoughts?
Are all pressure cookers made equal?
I am very interested in getting a pressure cooker so that I can cook indian dishes using dal beans and chickpeas that usually would require 24+ hours of soaking. Many Indians that I've spoken to have told me that is their secret to making these dishes at home.
But my wife has told me that some pressure cookers can explode. Does anyone have any guidelines on buying these? Any I should look out for or any that are exceptionally well made?
Anyone use Raja foods (indian spices, ingredients) ?
I was able to pick some of their spices and dal beans up but just wanted to know if anyone's had them. I get a bit nervous about eating food from half way around the world when its not from a brand I've heard of. Not sure what has come in contact with it, and after the peanut scare I am a little more cautious.
http://www.rajafoods.com/home.htm
How do you make a batter orange (in a natural way)
Awesome. This is tasteless? Any side effects from it? Is it an herb with any healing properties or health effects that I should need to consider?
How do you make a batter orange (in a natural way)
I'm looking to make some pancakes and I need for the batter to be orange. I do not want to use any artificial colorings. The batter needn't be fluorescent orange but it should be distinctly orange when compared to a traditional creamy colored batter/pancake.
Any ideas on how to achieve this? Is there any way to get the coloring from orange peel without using tons of it?
Does custard powder belong in the arsenal of a patissier?
Correct, Roux is not and I would presume would never use it to make a custard. he is using it as an ingredient to a cake. He explains the creme anglais in more than one of his books and of course I would think it is in canonical form. This is a guy who has had 3 stars on his restaurant for over 15 years, so I know he knows what's up, I was just wondering if it had any history in French cooking or if he is simply merging the two cuisines. He has many english desserts in his restaurant and books even though they have a French focus.
Does custard powder belong in the arsenal of a patissier?
I ask because Michel Roux uses it in his "Finest Desserts" book. But Roux has lived and worked mostly in London for many decades and I believe custard powder is common in British cooking, not French, but I'm not sure.
Can flour or sugar get freezer burned?
Just wondering because my tapioca flour box is sort of opened and has been in the freezer for several months.
Best eggplants for eggplant parm?
They are little, smaller i guess, not as short as Japanese ones, but narrower. They are dark black/purple though, not white.
Anywhere to get kosher grass-fed beef in NY-Metro area?
Thanks for this link! Have you eaten from here? What is the consensus on the freshness and quality of their meats?
Best eggplants for eggplant parm?
So I picked up some beautiful "Italian eggplants" from the store. I would love to use these to create an eggplant parm. Any reason why that would be a problem over the more traditional and larger circumference eggplant that one usually finds in the stores?
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
This is true, there are some great books. Don't get me wrong, I just meant more with guys like Mario B., I don't really know of those TV chef cookbooks (no matter how legit they are in real life) usually give you the actual recipes they would use to cook in their top restaurants, usually they are tailored to be more doable at home.
That said I rely heavily on several books these days from Michel Roux (Sauces, Eggs and one on desserts). I also have a book from le cordon bleu, so yeah I'm with you.
But I'm not so knowledgeable about the best Italian books and even Michel Roux's book on sauces tends to gear towards making things in less time than a professional chef.
Anyone have the Viking stand mixer and do heavy batters?
I have been using my new 7QT Viking with 1,000 watts for doing mostly liquid or partially liquid batters, like crepes, foam cake batters, etc.
The other day I went to do a pancake batter and it ended up a bit dry, which led to the Viking slowing down a bit and making a sound as if it was fighting a bit. I turned off the machine, which was on like 5 or 6, and put on the paddle mixer instead of the whisk. I turned it back on and put it on level 2 and it still seemed to be fighting a bit.
I am wondering if this is just how it sounds when its working with tougher batters. It wasn't shutting down, heating up or smoking, and it wasn't sounding broken, just sounded like it was working a bit harder than usual. I'm not sure how typical that is and now I'm a bit shy about trying to make bread if it had a tough time with some dry pancake batter, but then again maybe there is not much difference between dry pancake batter and bread dough.
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
I figure that recipe books are geared mostly to make people's lives easy and they don't tell you the real secrets. That's why the cultural reference in the film held some curiosity to me.
Thanks for all the other info!
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
This is very intriguing. I had not known that. Well is it always been this way? Back 100 years ago, what did the moms in Italy make their sauces from? Canned tomatoes that they canned the year before? Seriously would love to know the history on this.
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
But in the film Goodfellas, it took all day to make the sauce, remember? He had to have his brother constantly stir the pot. Was that BS? I really don't know which is why I'm asking. Thx.
Best tomatos for making pasta sauce?
Can? I was talking fresh tomatoes. Are fresh tomatoes not as noticeably better when making sauces?
