ejengstrom's Profile
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Beyond a shadow of a doubt the single best thing for food you can do with a credit card is order unpasteurized cheese from www.fromages.com.
We order and the cheese arrives perfectly ripened (hand selected), well packaged and oh so delicious. You can't buy unpasteurized imports in the United States and if you haven't been to France, you won't know what you're missing.
If you buy cheese for a business or your home, you'll find that local gourmet cheese shops often carry some of the same cheese (cooked) that you can buy uncooked from fromages.com. I've priced cheese extensively and I've never paid more for cheese, even after shipping from France from Fromages.com than I did locally.
I recommend the Epoisses, Brin d'Amour, Pont l'Eveque or any of their seasonal "cheese boards" they ship. Great value and perfectly selected.
Erik
Paella tips?
Butter the bottom of the pan before cooking, use short-grain or medium grain Arborio. I see you are likely in the SF Bay Area. Lundberg Family Farms sells medium grain organic Arborio in every health food store and common market in California.
Avoid using too much oil as that causes the rice to steam and never obtain the proper temperature. I have not yet been to Spain, but I do find that as OldTimer posted, you need to have a certain amount of fat on the bottom of the pan.
All of the Paella I've eaten in California appears to be a cheat on the dish as it comes out more like risotto. I like OldTimer's recommendation of using the grill but I've never had a problem with the stovetop, oven and broiler method.
You can email me at eengstrom@gmail.com. I'm local and would happily talk you through some more tips. I make more nouvelle paella with things I actually want to eat; many of the traditional recipes have items I turn my nose up at.
Expy on Orange Blossom Water?
The orange flecks are zest of orange or tangerine peel.
You may want to try:
Orange-Flower Jelly
3 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 cup sugar
One 1/4 ounce envelope of unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon orange-flower water
1. Boil the orange zest in water for two minutes, drain through a sieve, reserve the zest
2. Pour two tablespoons of cold water into a cup, sprinkle the gelatin over it, let stand for 5 minutes or until the crystals have softened
3. Combine the sugar, orange zest, orange-flower water, and 2 cups of ice cold water in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring and mixing with a wooden spoon
4. Stir until the mixture steam but does not boil - very important
5. Remove from the heat and pour while stirring the gelatin mixture, let stand for 20 minutes
6. Pour into a container and refrigerate until the jelly sets, 6 hours to 4 days
There are some nice orange-flower creme's out there as well.
I bought veal loin chops. What on earth do I do with them?
IMHO:
If you broil veal less than 2" thick you'll likely end up with cardboard.
Braise and saute cooking methods are best for any kind of chop that's 1" or less. Slow cooking leaves the meat moist and prevents uneven cooking across the meat platter.
Rib chops make the best slow cook choice due to the extra marrow.
