Danica21's Profile
I left the braised beef out overnight can I still eat it
I should know this, but for some reason I don't. The braised beef was out of the fridge for 12 hours in our 70 degree house. I have seen food out at picnics for a long time, then wrapped and eaten later, but I'm wondering if the 12 hours is too long and if I need to throw it away. It's about 2 lbs of excellent short ribs and I'm so sad to toss them.
Then again, 200 years ago they didn't have fridges or coolers, what happened to the meat in that case?
Help!
Looking for a tin-lined copper saucier
Try this website--
http://gourmet-web.com/shop/kupfertopf/index.php?XTCsid=hoits4l5eh61m9bfn2qr6pei10
They only sell tin-lined copper cookware, and with the Euro/ Dollar exchange rate the prices are pretty good. The prices listed include European taxes, so it is about 15% less to send it to the US (of course there are shipping charges, but not onerous...)
Losing faith in cast iron cookware
I believe that you aren't supposed to use enameled cast iron over high heat, that it needs to preheat and then it's strength is to maintain an even heat. For saute it's better to use carbon steel or stainless as they can take high heat easily, although I prefer carbon steel because it heats up faster.
Making my own strawberry jam
Ina Garten's strawberry Jam recipe is fantastic; it uses blueberries for texture and flavor. I add a quantity of lemon juice to taste, in order to give it a fresher flavor. Otherwise it can be a little blandly sweet--this lasted 3 wks in my refrigerator before it was all gone. It's great on french toast: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-strawberry-jam-recipe/index.html
Purveyors of great vinegar
Besides zingermans.com and earthy.com, who are the reliable online and local LA vinegar purveyors? I've bought too many bad bottles at Whole Foods and even igourmet.com to keep trying people out.
Thanks!
Is Craft worth it?
I went there with in-laws and my husband recently. The food is excellent and the service unbelievably friendly and relaxed. There is indoor and outdoor seating. My sister in law was pregnant and the waiter heard her say she was uncomfortable, and immediately had a pillow brought. We ordered six appetizers, four entrees and two desserts between six people and it was $50 apiece (no drinks, in-laws are teetotalers). I can't remember everything we got. The pig ears--odd choice, we did it to experiment and were glad--were great; the sea bass flavorful and succulent; the short ribs were winy and exceptionally well prepared, absolutely melting. Scallops were perfect. Anything with fish or meat was excellent. Salad was delicious, however not exceptional. They have a terrific variety of ice cream, the desserts we ordered (I remember the peanut butter cup tart) were not up to the standard of the food, but were yummy. You could get the desserts just as well at Alcove for maybe less (maybe the same) price. I highly recommend, especially if you are going to order a variety. Portions are small--you will eat well and not feel stuffed.
Where can I buy taro root, cassava, other tropical produce in LA?
I just got a cookbook that has a lot of east Indian recipes with exotic produce. I went to Bristol farms and somebody told me that I could find taro root, cassava and other products (smoke seasoning?) like that in Philipinotown. Does anyone know the name of a grocery store that would carry these types of foods? Thanks in advance.
Recipe: replicating bottled 30-minute marinades
In my cooking class they told me that meat at room temperature will absorb a marinade in 30 min to an hour, whereas refrigerated marinating takes overnight. Maybe it's about the temperature?
Craime Fraiche recipe
I recently had some of that kind of creme fraiche and its a little too tangy. This version tastes more like whip cream with a hint of tang and a hint of nuttiness. Aftertaste is very creamy not tangy.
Craime Fraiche recipe
That looks like an interesting recipe, I will follow up on how my fraiche progresses. It was amazingly effortless.
Craime Fraiche recipe
I made delicious, tangy, creamy craime fraiche using a pint of raw cream from the farmer's market and just a little over 4 full tbsp of raw kefir culture.
Without heating either the cream or the kefir (sold by the same vendor as the cream, it's cultured colostrum using russian kefir grains) I let both come to room temp, about 70 degrees, then I put the kefir on the bottom of a 3 cup glass container, poured the cream on top of it, added a little bit of kefir on top, stirred gently, then covered with a layer of cheesecloth for 36 hours, tasted, put on a plastic top and put it in the refrigerator.
It is thick, creamy and delicious. Next step is to use it in a french recipe, and then as a starter for the next batch.
Has anyone else tried this?
