sweet100s's Profile
Aluminum cups for creme brulee
FYI for next time:
I order from this company, a family run business, about once a year
http://www.kitchendance.com/
to make and freeze
mini-quiches (I use the 5 x 1.25" tins) and
mini-pies (I use the 5.75 x 1.75 tins)
in single-person servings.
CM's Passport France
Had a delicious mid-afternoon lunch thanks to 2 Passport France deli case items purchased earlier this week:
1) Roasted Fennel
with breadcrumbs and herbs on top
Fennel is not always the first thing I'll order or reach for, but I loved this version. Something in the herbs + breadcrumbs is really good..
2) I snagged the very last French Herbed Roti chicken
the extra herbs gives it some but not a huge extra zing vs the regular chicken
+ a Becker Vineyards "springtime" white.
I also restocked my popcorn supply of Rocky Mountain popped popcorn, butter flavor located in the gluten-free aisle, about mid-way, just below knee height, the stuff I wrote about here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/784759
and also orderable online by the case:
http://www.rockymountainpopcorn.com/flavors/butter
and perfect for smuggling into movie theaters as a more delicious, non-GMO, inexpensive snack.
I did NOT like the Ficelle bread. Too hard, + the prosciuto? or something similar added to it was too overpowering. I do not see the point of chip-a-tooth hard bread.
However, the ficelle would be good for gently jabbing someone, giving a whack on the backside, or fencing.
CM's Passport France
Went yesterday, just for a quick lunch, but ended out spending an hours afterwards roaming inside.
CM had a bunch of sample tastings of French products I've never tried before.
3 things I loved:
1) Near the chips aisles, I tried samples of these:
"Creperolles" - They taste like little pillows of cheese with crispy cracker-pastry layers surrounding them, all in the size of a goldfish cracker.
In the store, the sample was Cheddar - delicious.
Bought: the gouda - cumin flavor. Delicious with your favorite white wine.
I know they were on CentralMarket's website somewhere, or maybe the flyer when you walk inside the store.
From the web:
http://www.genussland.de/delikatessen/suppe-und-salzige-snacks/creperolles-tomate-kraeuter.php
2) I tried a new (to-me) french pastries that was delicious, though the ingredients were simple: Ka____ (need to look it up)
3) Perhaps the most delciious chocolate bar I've ever had: Maker was described as made by a "bean to bar" chocolatier in France
http://www.chocolatmichelcluizel.com/francais/
I love almonds + chocolate
the bar I bought was "Carmelized Almond with Chili and 55% milk chocolate"
Was afraid the chili would be overpowering. It's very subtle. It's beautiful; the almonds are thicker than the choclate width, and are obviously carmelized and dusted with chili.
Oh, and they have Duck eggs !!! Located on the end cap opposite the milk, with some other french dairy product.
Killer week in Austin for Newbie
Second Olivias for brunch. Both the steak and eggs or the any of their omelettes have been delicious and special.
Tomo on Palmer...any new reviews & is it still open? Website down.
Agree with Dina re: Osaka Mansun and also the ho chu app. It's completely non-traditional, but a very tasty mix of flavors.
Plus the guys who work at their sushi bar are cute and very personable.
How to make roasted, spiced nuts?
Thanks everyone!
I was searching for roasted nuts; adding "spiced", like I did in the title, works!
How to make roasted, spiced nuts?
>> Heat oven to 375 (F) ?
mamachef, that's higher than I would expect.
How to make roasted, spiced nuts?
For an upcoming trip, I'd like to make roasted spiced nuts, and put them in 1 oz portions for between-meal snacks.
Searching Epicurious, all of the recipes with "roasted walnuts" are as ingredients in other things, primarily salads.
If you were going to:
- Start with raw non-roasted, non-salted nuts (primarily cashews, almonds, walnuts)
- Want the end result to be tasty roasted slightly-salted spiced nuts
How would you do this?
My favorite things from Central Market
"Central Market Introduces Scratch-Made Hand Pies"
http://moreplease.centralmarket.com/cm-news/central-market-introduces-scratch-made-hand-pies/
How fun! Pocket pies from Central Market!
>> Our bakers use a blend of cream cheese and butter to make a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust, which we
Cream cheese in a pie crust? I don't believe I've ever tasted that.
How to make Scottish Oat Cakes? (like the "oat cakes" from Macrina Bakery in Seattle)
>> I just made a 1/4 size batch of this recipe. It was pretty easy, and results nice and crisp, with just enough sweetness.
Dang! May I come over pleeease?
I will give that one a try when I get back next weekend.
Thanks everyone, and thanks paulj for trying the recipe! Do you think added slivered almonds would be OK?
That recipe reminds me of a compressed form of my Oatmeal Streusel that I like to put on top of pies.
I'm kind of bummed it's so rich, just from a calorie budget standpoint.
For first time I make it, I'd rather keep the recipe intact (save maybe a few slivered almonds...).
Time after that I'll try a healthier version...
>> Macrina is coming out with a second cookbook this fall; perhaps it will include the recipe for oatcakes.
!!! oh my gosh.
I have sworn off buying more cookbooks... but I will make an exception.
There are some unique, innovative, and delicious things happening inside that Bakery.
How to make Scottish Oat Cakes? (like the "oat cakes" from Macrina Bakery in Seattle)
hmmm
I recall tasting:
- delicious strong oatmeally flavor combined with sweetness
- sweetness maybe from molasses or brown sugar?
- butter
They were much denser than a cookie, but not like a cracker.
Oat Cakes: Do any Austin bakeries make them?
Exactly!
I remembered triangles, but that is it- more like diamonds.
They don't look very... delicious, but they really are.
How to make Scottish Oat Cakes? (like the "oat cakes" from Macrina Bakery in Seattle)
Thanks PaulJ and Robin Joy.
Those recipes don't sound like they could be as delicious as Macrina's.
PaulJ, that picture is it. I remember them being triangular, but that pic is a diamond shape - yep.
Oat Cakes: Do any Austin bakeries make them?
While vacationing in Seattle last fall to escape the Texas heat, I experienced Oat Cakes from Macrina Bakery & Cafe.
It was 10am on a weekend morning, I had just stepped inside and was taking in all the delicious and interesting options. A runner comes in, takes a quick look at the goodies behind the glass, and starts to seem anxious. "You aren't out of Oat Cakes are you?"
At that point I had picked out a plum croissant and a sour lemon cherry coffee cake. The "oat cake" plate retrieved from hiding contained uninteresting triangles of compressed something. But since Ms. Runner seemed so relieved to get one, I asked her what was the deal. She said, "Try it; I promise you'll understand."
I remember the plum croissant was completely delicious (I love plums), I don't remember the coffee cake, but I am absolutely craving those oat cakes.
Do any Austin bakeries make them?
Any close versions from groceries? HEB and Wheatsville Coop didn't have anything similar.
Macrina Bakery's version looked more like these:
http://www.thehandmadeoatcakecompany.co.uk/
and not at all like these:
http://www.food.com/recipe/scottish-oat-cakes-429448
http://www.macrinabakery.com/index.html
Chowhound Home Cooking thread I posted to ask for Oat Cake recipes
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/834476
How to make Scottish Oat Cakes? (like the "oat cakes" from Macrina Bakery in Seattle)
While vacationing in Seattle last fall to escape the Texas heat, I experienced Oat Cakes from Macrina Bakery & Cafe.
It was 10am on a weekend morning, I had just stepped inside and was taking in all the delicious and interesting options. A runner comes in, takes a quick look at the goodies behind the glass, and starts to seem anxious. "You aren't out of Oat Cakes are you?"
At that point I had picked out a plum croissant and a sour lemon cherry coffee cake. The "oat cake" plate retrieved from hiding looked like uninteresting triangles of compressed something. But since Ms. Runner seemed so relieved to get one, I asked her what was the deal. She said, "Try it; I promise you'll understand."
I remember the plum croissant was completely delicious (I love plums), I don't remember the coffee cake, but I am absolutely craving those oat cakes.
Does any know how to make them?
Macrina Bakery's version looked more like these:
http://www.thehandmadeoatcakecompany.co.uk/
and not at all like these:
http://www.food.com/recipe/scottish-oat-cakes-429448
http://www.macrinabakery.com/index.html
My favorite things from Central Market
It was a beautiful Saturday to go to Central Market.
From the deli area, the meatballs described below from their chef-inspired meatball selection won raves during playoffs last night.
http://www.centralmarket.com/Assets/PDF/WeeklySpecialsAUSN.pdf
Specifically, the Lamb meatball Chille Relleno, and Steak & Bacon were delicious all delicious. Didn't try the Thai shrimp & pork.
I forgot to get some sauces from the sauce bar right across from the deli.
Enjoyed the meatballs with the mushroom pasta that was also delicious...
LOVED the citrus kale salad with dried cranberries and almonds. From their Citrus Fest selections, purchased a blood orange, tangelo, and tangerine to toss with salads. The tangelo was sweet and refreshing.
Did NOT like the fennel citrus salad. Wow, something in their was face-scrunching strong.
There were tons of samples available; the orzo salad tasted delicious, and the breakfast rice pudding with pistachio and honey was interesting.
And I replenished my supply of Rocky Mountain popped popcorn, butter flavor. It's now located in the gluten-free aisle, about mid-point, just below knee height. It's better than I can make stovetop, perfect for smuggling into movies, almost every kernal is soft, and it's buttery but not too buttery. Wonder why they remove the proteins from the butter? (as they say below)
http://www.rockymountainpopcorn.com/flavors/butter
Maybe that contributes to the powdery-soft texture.
Sprouts closing most stores
>> just because you label something "Organic" doesn't mean it is.
Isn't the label "organic" a legally binding label ?
(as opposed to All-Natural, which means nothing)
Ciabatta vs Focaccia: When to use one vs the other?
>> about what we disliked about the food in Tuscany, almost to a person the answer was "the bread tastes like cardboard".
Completely agree. I've been to Italy > 12 times, mostly Rome, Milan once and Florence twice. Even in expense account, fancy restaurants, I did not find any of the bread very interesting. AND much of it was "cardboard"-y.
I also never had a pizza slide that was notable in Italy, though I did not go to Naples.
(on the good, I had the most delicious pasta, seafood, vegetables, and of course wine ever.)
Ciabatta vs Focaccia: When to use one vs the other?
When would you want to have ciabatta vs focaccia bread?
The brussel sprouts at La Condesa
>> Maybe they parboil in stock?
That's the best guess I can think of. The brussel sprout leaves had the goodness (broth) through and through. I don't think I could create the same end results by just mixing them in something after cooking.
For making the v-notch, I use my favorite big-handle small-blade fibrox knife
like this only with a fatter, rounder handle
http://www.chefsresource.com/chicken-deboning-knife-forschner-fibrox-cutlery.html
The brussel sprouts at La Condesa
La Condesa is one of those places where everything I've tried fits my definition of "special":
- a dish with a unique combination of ingredients I've never tasted before
- something that I do not have the cooking skills to make as delicious as they do
- something that would take a long time for me to prep or cook
I've been wanting to make brussel sprouts for a while, but making them the way I like means more prep than I've had time for in Nov-Dec. (I cut each one in half lengthwise, then cut a "V" notch to remove the white root from each half. This seems to take most of the "bitter" taste with it. That tip via Chow or Alton Brown, can't remember which...)
If you are a brussel-sprout lover, La Condesa has the best I've tried anywhere.
On the menu they are described as:
coles de bruselas $ 5
brussel sprouts, bacon, grapes
The brussel sprouts tasted both roasted and braised at the same time; as though they had been roasted in a delicious broth of some kind. In addition, there was the genious pairing of halved grapes with brussel sprouts, maybe shallots or very thin onion slices, and the barely noticeable flavor of bacon.
The brussel sprouts were ordered as a take-home dish on recommendation of our excellent server, since flight arrived > 8pm on Dec 24'th and all grocery stores were closed, and we were wondering where to find veggies for christmas day.
The
pato con Mole Negro
crescent duck breast & confit leg, three-day mole, toasted sesame seeds, rice, crema, tortillas
and "Sunday chicken" were also completely delicious and made for several scrumptious meals.
My only critique is they need to back off the salt just a smidge on everything. (and for reference, I am a salt-addict; carry packets with me in case of emergency)
http://lacondesaaustin.com/menu/LC_Dinner_11.26.10.pdf
La Condesa
400 West 2nd Street Austin, TX 78701
(512) 499-0300
Thank you La Condesa for a beautiful and delicious meal and Christmas day sustenance, including the best brussel sprout dish ever.
Eating At The Noble Pig In Austin
The new "deli" adjacent to the restaurant is open.
I purchased a couple slices of their duck breast pate, and a loaf of their honey wheat oatmeal round bread baked that day. Made an open-faced sandwich that evening for dinner. Just the duck pate on a slice of the bread, toasted.
First bite - hmm this is different.
Second bite - this is kinda good.
Third bite - OK I'm addicted.
(I've never had duck breast pate)
Small thing - it's very cool how the blue checked "butcher paper" around the duck pate matches their floor color and pattern in the adjacent restaurant. Someone had to make a conscious decision to find that blue checked butcher paper. It made me smile.
AND
Noble Pig makes the most delicious scrambled eggs, biscuits, and gravy I've had in years and years. All for $5.
Don't hate me for saying this, but I think they are under-pricing their breakfast items by $2 each. It worries me to see significant under-pricing, because I want a place like this to have staying power. If the owners aren't making a good enough profit, they can't hire enough people, then they will get too exhausted, won't have time for new ideas, etc.
And their menu item just says something like "milk biscuits and gravy". It doesn't mention the perfectly scrambled eggs you receive at all! If they can't re-paint their sign, they should at least fix the website to mention the scrambled eggs!
Noble Pig is certainly the most delicious AND best value breakfast in Austin.
Sprouts closing most stores
I like Sprouts for their organic coffee prices, both regular and decaf. Though right now I'm addicted to Cuvee's Spicewood blend and one other (bright blue coffee bag with picture of a leaping frog on the front) that I have found at the downtown Whole Foods .
I also like Sprouts (the Great Hills store near the Arboretum) for their non-antibiotic chicken parts and their sprouted breads, particularly their sprouted sourdough.
I've always been surprised they didn't have more organic veggies.
They do have a well-stocked vitamin section.
Angel Valley Organic Farmstand, Wednesdays 10am-2pm Northwest Austin
I have been meaning to try this farmstand forever, and needing car service last week made me drive past it when they happen to be there.
WOW they have the most beautiful produce I've seen since the San Francisco Ferry Market last year at this time. The colors of the veggies look so saturated. Everything looks like it literally just came out of the ground that morning. I've never had broccoli this fresh (the stem bottoms were white-white; just cut. Last week they had:
- deep deep green brussel leaves (sprouts aren't ready till March. These are the brussel LEAVES. "like collard greens, only sweeter")
- pink radishes
- fushia radishes
- deep purple kohlrabi
You could take those last 3 to Sherwin Williams for a paint match to decorate a girl's bedroom.
Remember to peek in each of the coolers on the ground around the tables. That's where they have all the lettuces and greens.
Their farmstand is off 183 between the Duval and Oak Knoll exits.
If you are heading NORTH on 183 and take the Duval exit: Take a LEFT on Duval and a RIGHT on Jollyville. Their farmstand will be on the RIGHT in the parking lot of the:
Asian American Cultural Center
11713 Jollyville Road
They told me last week they would be open today 10am - 2pm.
http://www.angelvalleyfarms.com/farmstands/index.html
What to buy from HEB tomorrow for the BEST turkey sandwiches on Friday...
1) San-Del Diced Hot Cherry Pepper
I love San-Del Diced Hot Cherry Pepper relish for adding delicious flavor and a little heat to sandwiches. Adding it to a leftover meal gives any kind of meat a very different taste than how you originally prepared it, so it makes leftovers a lot more interesting.
If someone is afraid of heat, add a couple teaspoons on the side, and invariably it will be gone when you take their plate.
The trick is finding it. I have found it in as many as five different places in the same HEB depending on the time of the year. It can be deli section atop the glass, or ethnic section, or the condiment area, or...
San-Del Diced Hot Cherry Pepper would definitely be on my "Favorite things from HEB" list.
This link shows what the San-Del LOGO looks like, but you definitely want the DICED version for sandwiches. It's a lot easier to spread and control level of hot-ness than the sliced version.
http://www.amazon.com/San-Del-Sliced-Cherry-Peppers/dp/B0017D5ZLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1322026240&sr=1-1
2) My favorite whole grain bread these days is from HEB. It goes by something like "Whole Grain Country French" boule (it's round). It tastes of sourdough though I don't believe that word is on the label.
I've seen it the HEB on Braker and 183, and Spicewood Springs and 183. This sounds odd but the top of the boule is a light brown / grey-ish color (they should brush it with butter or something go make it a deeper brown). It's my favorite whole grain bread that doesn't taste like health food, but simply like delicious bread. Great for sandwiches.
3) Duke's Mayonnaise if your HEB has it
4) The Central Market organic arugula
Another delicious HEB bread is the rustic cranberry walnut or cranberry pistachio bread. Toasted HEB cranberry pistachio bread with cream cheese could be the perfect light breakfast before the turkey onset...
Oh, and for dessert, most HEB's carry the Central Market cookie dough near their egg section. Recently I deviated from my Chocolate Chunk cookie addiction and tried their Cranberry Walnut cookie dough Also delicious. Put it in your freezer immediately, and it lasts forever. If you break off 1 and only 1, it's only a 140 calorie debit to your daily calorie budget. I combine it with a skim milk - iced coffee combo, and it's total bliss. 10 minutes @ 350 in the toaster oven. Then wrap it loosely in a folded paper towel to let it cool for a couple minutes.
Breakfast near Lakeway
Scrambled eggs were cold last time I went there. Person there explained it was difficult to keep eggs warm while preparing everything else (toast), etc.
I agree with that, since I had to figure out how to do that at home when I cook breakfast. But if I can figure it out, a restaurant should be able to.
