cocktailhour's Profile
What to do with orange marmalade?
I use marmalade in a sweet-hot cole slaw dressing: mayo as the base, then sour cream, marmalade, small amount of ketchup, hot sauce (tabasco) to taste, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar. I like it not too sweet and with a big kick, but you can easily vary the amounts. I always do by taste. You can also add honey for additional sweetness. the slaw itself is just green cabbage, or with carrot and/or green onion. it's a good slaw and dressing to use on something like an oyster po-boy. dip oysters in egg, then in a cornmeal/flour mixture, well seasoned. pan fry until golden brown on each side. eat on a soft roll with some of the dressing as a spread, a bed of slaw, then the fried oysters.
Any vegetarian recipes for a meat eater?
there are dozens of pasta recipes without meat. Lots of ethnic foods like Indian or Thai. For indian, curries, lentils, and substantial veg dishes are plentiful. Look at the books by Julie Sahni or Madhur Jaffrey to start.
Seattle near Hotel Andra - family with elderly folk
Dahlia, Lola (check menu first), Metropolitan Grill, Coterie Room, Blueacre Steelhead Diner.
Where to find Totten Inlet VIRGINICA oysters in Seattle...
They had them a few weeks ago at Walrus and Carpenter when we ate there.
What's your best recipe for guacamole?
avocado, we just mash with a fork. one clove of garlic (assuming 2-3 avocados). green onion with white and green parts. 1-2 jalapenos, with or without seeds. cilantro lime salt. and I think a generous amount of ground cumin is essential for that perfect taste. all ingredients to taste. we often sub with what we have on hand, so shallot instead of garlic-green onion, or minced yellow onion or red. but the other ingredients are must haves, to me.
Short Ribs Overview and Tips?
I would brown the salt and peppered ribs in EVOO on the outside, remove. Dutch oven. Then saute 1-2 finely chopped onion in the drippings ( you may wish to remove some fat). Add sliced garlic and stir. Add some chile--
--2-4 dried chiles, toasted, rehydrated and pureed
--ancho chili powder 2-4 TBS, with cumin and oregano (optional)
--chile powder blend
Add 2-4 cups of strong coffee. Or a mix of coffee and water or beer or the soaking liquid from the chilis or broth. you want liquid at least half way up the short ribs. return meat to pan. cover tightly and braise in over at 300 for 2-3 hours. check and add liquid if needed. result is fall off the bone tender with delicious sauce. serve with soft or firm polenta. Couscous with nuts and raisins would also be good.
or start the same up to the garlic. then broth, thyme, and a bay leaf.
Chicken Chili too acidic -help.
I would suggest topping with sour cream, but you mentioned avoiding dairy. Potato may help. and salt.
didn't wash the beans...
yes. yes, it is garbage. please send to my house for proper disposal.
ok, not really. it is fine. I agree that you did wash them and it is not a big deal if you didn't.
Cooking French tonight. Need suggestions, please.
that's a good one!
a pate or terrine to start as an hors d'oevures. starter served at table. scallops with green lentils, beets, and balsamic. main of duck breast with pan reduction cherry port sauce. Burgundy. Potatoes anna or fondantes. then simple green salad with vinaigrette. cheese course with 3 cheeses and accompaniments different for each. for dessert--chocolate pot au creme, creme brulee, mousse. espresso or cappucino to finish, with petit fours.
Restaurant changes on Queen Anne
Love Mazcaleria Oaxaca. Food is a bit more homestyle than the one in Ballard, and some larger plates. good bar, good salsa, good staff and service. Go now.
I noticed the big eviction. anyone know what is going in where Ototo et al were?
What IS this food everyone is reportedly wasting?
I love that we have city wide composting for every kind of edible scrap. I feel like the British poster upthread--it is brilliant! All recyclables in one bin, all compost/yard waste in another, and a third bin for trash, which is less than half the size of either of the other two. I agree that this is not a solution for food "waste," but I think some spoilage/wastage/peels and roots are inevitable.
well managed composting should not smell. I agree that rodents are a bigger issue.
California Mexican vs. Tex Mex?
right back at ya, bland, cheeseless Cali people, with rice in their burritos!
or, you know, we can respect the preferences of everyone. what I wouldn't give for some real queso and a deep fried chile relleno with fajitas and proper right now, here in the gray NW.
Shrimp: wierd, mothball-like taste
sounds like iodine to me, which can also be intensified with sodium bisulfite as a preservative.
ISO "The Swiss Cookbook" by Nika Stand Hazelton - [Cheese] Fondue Recipe
FYI, I happened to make fondue last night, and the proportions on the classic fondue recipe on epicurious is pretty similar. 1-1/2 cups wine (I used champagne from NYE), 1 lb. cheese, cornstarch mixed with kirsch. I smashed a garlic clove and floated it in the wine and let the wine simmer. I didn't stir in a circle, though! It was perfect, even though I forgot the nutmeg.
Need recommendation for restaurant with good scallop dish
The places i think likely to have a good dish change their menus too frequently to be sure. I would call around to Flying Fish, Seatown, Blueacre, Steelhead Diner, Tilth, Mistral.
Downtown/walkable Solo Eating in Seattle?
Zoe is closed, and its place is The Coterie Room. I have not been and it gets good reviews. In my personal experience, I have been able to dine solo anywhere with no problem and without a reservation, usually sitting at the bar. You can easiy get to the I district on any downtown bus, it's only a few stops, or a longish walk, depending on your definition of a long walk. Of the places you listed, I would lean to Etta's for brunch or lunch and Palace for late night. for seafood, I still love Flying Fish, more than the others, but they are all good. I would recommend some small plates places as very representative of Seattle eating--Sitka & Spruce, Wolf or Anchovies & Olives (same owner), and all will have many seafood options. walkable for breakfast from your hotel--Dahlia Bakery, Belle Epicurean, Top Pot Doughnuts. for pastry, etc. Caffe Migliore for good, local coffee shop. Say hi to Jeremy.
Kids' menus at restaurants. Really? [From General Topics]
As a loving and doting aunt, I do think that kids will act differently with their own parents than with others. So even if your family tried, the nephew may act differently at home.
My niece and nephew, raised by the same parents in the same way, are total food opposites. One eats most things, the other will only eat six bland things. You can get into a fight tantrum, let him go angry, or give him one of those few things. The point, though, is that parenting alone is not the sole cause of a picky eater, I think.
What side dishes with scallops?
green lentils with red beets and balsamicvinegar. ans some bacon or lardons.
i think your sauce would be great with wild rice pilaf too. add some almonds and cranberries.
Essentials for a wine and cheese party
I try to focus on one region or even one type of milk (goat, sheep, cow), and then get 3-5 cheeses from fresh and soft and creamy to dry and aged. I also look for a range from mild to sharp. At a store with a cheese counter, the workers are often very good at putting together a variety. A typical mix I have served is a fresh goat (often served in a log) such as Laura Chenel, a mild, semi firm sheep, such as petite basque (often available at Costco), a cheddar, and a blue. With this mix, the blue could be creamy and spreadable, or very crumbly, and then I would make the cheddar sharper or milder as a contrast. From these basics, I would add (and/or) a soft cheese such as brie or a triple cream; a slightly aged goat that is still creamy; more semihard cheese. we have a great collection of local cheeses that I would tend to gravitate towards. If you get some cheese at Costco, then go to some chi-chi store in Chicago for what is local and available.
What to do with a lot of Danish blue cheese?
"grown up" grilled cheese--blue cheese and sorrel, grilled with lots of butter, on a sturdiy artisan bread. serve with soup of your choice. you have to have guests who like blue cheese, though.
Have a ham bone, don't want bean soup, any suggestions?
I would make black eyed peas-Hoppin John for New Years. Or black beans or pintos and freeze the cooked beans for later use--more Mexican. Or red beans for red beans and rice.
Curry Leaf (on stem) $29.99 per lb.- do you leave out?
I would make the recipe. but keeping in mind the amount you probably need for a recipe, the cost seems like it would be pretty low--you won't need anything close to a pound.
My "alternate" method of working with dried chiles: good or bad?
The disadvantage that I see is that with the toast/rehydrating method, you can create a paste or thick sauce that seasons the rest of the dish and adds texture differently than a powder. it may not be worse, just different.
Spicy Green Latin condiment
I would have said chimichurri sauce. Lots of parsley garlic, olive oil. I don't use a particular recipe, just the usual searches. years ago, I really liked the chimichurri from a South American restaurant in Houston called Churrascos, if you want to search on that.
Mashed Potato help...
No, no, yes, no.
I would consider earlier in the day, but not the day before. Mix in extra dairy and even cream cheese. I have also heard of keeping warm in a crockpot, but I have never tried it. For mashing, I have used--potato masher (5-10 dollar gadget), pastry cutter, and a ricer (also 10-15 gadget). I like the ricer the best, but they all have pros and cons. My MIL always uses her stand mixer. The result is very smooth, light potatoes. I go for the ricer because the texture is a bit dense, which I like. I will add the skins or not, depending on what happens as the potato goes through the ricer. For garlic, you could simmer with the potatoes or saute. You could also add raw, which is strong and needs to be fine to avoid texture issues.
Visiting Dec 26-28 -- what not to miss?
you are in downtown. Staple & Fancy, Sitka & Spruce, Corson Building. Wolf. Palace Kitchen or Dahlia Lounge. Top Pot for doughnuts. Humbow in the Market. I do not think Lecosho or Lark should make the cut, for different reasons, but it comes down to less impressive food.
Recommended size for cutting board/block
I would get the biggest size that fits well in your workspace. I have a huge board that I love, that I got from a box store like BBandB. I can pile ingredients and still have plenty of room to work. I usually, but not always, cut raw meat on a separate board so I don't have to clean it to continue prep. there are studies that show that a well-washed wood board (soap and water) is as good as or better than plastic with regard to cross contaminations, so I wouldn't worry overmuch.
Best cookware for smoothtop electric stove?
I have cooked on several different kinds of flat tops over the years and have not had a problem with any kind of pan so long as it is: fairly flat on the bottom, and does not have any ridges on the bottom to hold the pan away fromt he burner--like some two burner griddles. I have used cast iron, old Calphalon, all-clad, stainless, and enamel. my mom-in-law had a very early version of a flat top, and she used Visionware--that pyrex-like stuff that is not pyrex. mostly because it was flat, I think, and she is not a cook out of love, if you know what I mean. I prefer smoothtop to coil for electric, and I think you will do fine. oh, the other thing is to make sure that your pan fits the burner fairly well. I have a cast iron that overhangs a lot, and it does not heat nearly so well on the edges, although it's no problem with my dutch ovens (not trying to sear).
