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Cook the Book: Three Cup Chicken with Green Beans
To further the heresy, I've used asparagus in place of green beans (someone I cook for won't touch green beans but loves asparagus-- go figure) and plain ol' regular basil when I couldn't find Thai.
Video: Anthony Bourdain Appears as 'Dr. Tony' on 'Yo Gabba Gabba!'
If the Tony of the 20th century could see the Tony of the 21st, he'd never believe it...
Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less
Unbleached coffee filters would work fine (they're what I use for straining yogurt when I'm out of cheesecloth); it just may take a wee bit longer to drain to your desired consistency.
As for raw milk... if you don't have a problem drinking it, there's no reason not to use it in this application.
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Sunday Brunch: The Greatest Waffle Recipe Ever
mcquinn, if you substitute buttermilk for the regular in this recipe, you need to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda as well, or the acid won't balance/react properly (same is true of recipes using yogurt or sour cream).
Cook the Book: Three Cup Chicken with Green Beans
To further the heresy, I've used asparagus in place of green beans (someone I cook for won't touch green beans but loves asparagus-- go figure) and plain ol' regular basil when I couldn't find Thai.
Video: Anthony Bourdain Appears as 'Dr. Tony' on 'Yo Gabba Gabba!'
If the Tony of the 20th century could see the Tony of the 21st, he'd never believe it...
Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less
Unbleached coffee filters would work fine (they're what I use for straining yogurt when I'm out of cheesecloth); it just may take a wee bit longer to drain to your desired consistency.
As for raw milk... if you don't have a problem drinking it, there's no reason not to use it in this application.
Cook the Book: Braised Duck with Niçoise Olives and Rosemary
allakarasik, you certainly CAN make this without the wine, using either chicken or veal stock with a splash of red-wine or sherry vinegar (or a squeeze of lemon if you can't tolerate even wine vinegars-- you want a touch of acidity). It won't be quite the same, but it will certainly be tasty.
Mixed Review: Ad Hoc's Fried Chicken Mix
I would only add that draining fried food on paper towels is bogus-- drain the goods on A RACK so there is no steaming/sogging (the grease will drip off and you'll get air circulation as well to keep the food crispy). Jacques Pepin says so, and not even Thomas Keller trumps Jacques Pepin.
'Top Chef Masters' Season 2 Chefs Announced
Kelly Choi again? ACK She's about as welcome as those misguided puff-sleeve blouses Gail has favored on-air...
Gonna be fun to see Wylie bring his magic with such time constraints, and I ALWAYS love Susan Feniger. I predict Marcus S. will go down early-- not due to lack of talent, but 'cause he doesn't seem to have the temperament for the "quick fire" mindset of the "Top Chef" format. Hope Mark Peel does better this time. Tramonto should be a contender... and there are a lot of names I'm embarrassed to say I'm ignorant of.
STILL... Top Chef Masters last season was just THE BEST. Can't wait for this one!
Cook the Book: Ad Hoc at Home
DAMN! La Pasadita (all three of them) is/are on Ashland, NOT Western... I'm such a maroon... (and have been away from Chicago for FAR too long):
Cook the Book: Ad Hoc at Home
La Pasadita on Western Ave. (west side of the street, southernmost location) has the tacos I dream of/weep about when I'm not in Sweet Home Chicago. The carne asada with cebolla and cilantro, doused with salsa verde-- OH, MY SOUL...
(I know they're famous for their "lengua" tacos, and I really should try them, but I just can't bring myself to order anything but my beloved asada when I'm there.)
Cook the Book: Candied Pecans and Herbed Toasted Walnuts
salpico, if you like the honey, next time try using maple syrup (the real stuff, "grade B"). SO good! I agree that fresh black pepper (or even a hint of cayenne or chipotle) would be an excellent addition.
And, yeah-- please fix the link, PTB; I'm desperately broke and desperately want this book!
Dinner Tonight: Alice Waters' Chicken Noodle Soup
Not big on dill, myself, so I use either rosemary or thyme (two herbs that are still nice even if all you have is dried) or fresh tarragon. Sara Moulton taught me the glories of parsnip as a chicken-stock component (she says it's her mother's secret weapon), and I can't endorse it enough.
P.S. Chicken fat ROCKS!
'Gourmet' Magazine: 1941–2009
God, I am just sick about this. "Gourmet" was brought back to life by Ruth Reichl around the same time "Saveur" began going downhill in a big way. While I like "Bon Appetit" well enough, it's just not the same. What's left? I suppose I should be grateful that "Fine Cooking" is still around.
This feels very much like the Food Network dropping Puck, Batali, and Moulton (exec chef at "Gourmet," by the way) and giving Rachael Ray half a dozen more shows.
P.S. From what I've read, Conde Nast plans to keep epicurious.com up and running, complete with full "Gourmet" content as before.
When you lose your mojo with your signature specialties...
Oh, no! That IS sad. Are you sure it's permanent? I mean, I've had my biscuit mojo abandon me on exactly two occasions: once for reasons I still can't fathom, and once because I was so anxiety-ridden that the dough CLEARLY absorbed my emotions and the resulting hockey pucks were as dismal as my disposition. Fortunately, in both cases the the curse was fleeting, and I was back to form with subsequent batches.
Maybe it's just the culinary gods telling you it's time to branch out in new directions, and you'll be able to come back to these personal classics in the fullness of time. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Bacon Bra
Oh, please, y'all... it's just plain silly and hilarious.
I'm as ardent a feminist as you'll find on the planet, and I TOTALLY embrace my love of bacon, bawdiness and "bwah-hah-hah" (which are pretty much the three things this photo celebrates).
Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese
The only change to this STELLAR recipe that I recommend is to increase the milk to 6 cups in order to make the mix "soupier" and the end result (and subsequent fabulous leftovers) moister.
Otherwise... the PERFECT baked mac & cheese!
Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway
With the leftover hardboiled Easter eggs, my mom would make eggs goldenrod served over toasted English muffins for Easter breakfast (the egg white bits would have random little streaks of pink and blue and green on them from their dyeing), along with fried country ham. My dad called this "scram gravy," referencing the "Smokey Stover"* comic strip which featured a sign reading "scram gravy ain't wavy."
*Mom always added a splash of liquid smoke to the sauce, interestingly enough...
Freezing stock
I do the ice-cube tray thing, too, but with two changes:
1) reduce the stock down by at least 50% (simmer gently, don't boil), sometimes more; when you reconstitute them, just add extra water for regular-strength stock;
2) after the stock cubes are frozen solid, pop them out of the trays and store in a zip-top bag (if you leave them in the trays, they can pick up freezer/fridge odors and will also tend to evaporate).
I add _____ to macaroni & cheese
A splash of liquid smoke (my mom once made macaroni & cheese with some smoked cheddar left over from a party tray, and it was so good, from then on she always added some liquid smoke to the mix) and a squeeze of mustard.
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mcquinn, if you substitute buttermilk for the regular in this recipe, you need to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda as well, or the acid won't balance/react properly (same is true of recipes using yogurt or sour cream).