Marshmallow’s Profile
Recent Comments
melting macaroons
I'm not familiar with the Ina Garten recipe, but from your list of ingredients, it sounds like a combination of 2 distinct coconut confections. I think if you eliminate the sweetened condensed milk, your cookies would not "melt" or spread like you describe--the mixture sounds too liquid to set in the oven. (You want the coconut mixture to be quite thick, like moistened coconut.)
However, if you wanted to make Beijinhos de Coco, which is more like a less sweet version of the inside of a Mounds bar, you could eliminate the egg whites (and use unsweetened coconut) and cook the condensed milk to softball stage (140 F) in a saucepan. (Full recipe at Leite's Culineria: http://leitesculinaria.com/3255/recipes-coconut-kisses.html)
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
Mmm. I don't think I could ever eat too much Thai curry...
See more comments by Marshmallow ยป
Recent Posts
Marshmallow hasn't written a post yet.
Recent Favorites
Marshmallow hasn't favorited a post yet.
Recent Polls
Marshmallow hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
Marshmallow hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
melting macaroons
Awesome. I love that recipe and I've made it many times. Good luck! (And my link would work if only there was no end bracket--doh! My bad!)
melting macaroons
I'm not familiar with the Ina Garten recipe, but from your list of ingredients, it sounds like a combination of 2 distinct coconut confections. I think if you eliminate the sweetened condensed milk, your cookies would not "melt" or spread like you describe--the mixture sounds too liquid to set in the oven. (You want the coconut mixture to be quite thick, like moistened coconut.)
However, if you wanted to make Beijinhos de Coco, which is more like a less sweet version of the inside of a Mounds bar, you could eliminate the egg whites (and use unsweetened coconut) and cook the condensed milk to softball stage (140 F) in a saucepan. (Full recipe at Leite's Culineria: http://leitesculinaria.com/3255/recipes-coconut-kisses.html)
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
Mmm. I don't think I could ever eat too much Thai curry...
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I'm definitely on the St-Viateur side of the bagel divide and I miss scarfing down a couple of hot bagels as a treat (!!!) before my morning swim when I lived in Mile End. I hardly eat bagels here in NY/NJ because they're just bread in a doughnut shape. Schwartz's smoked meat is the best!
Potted Fruit Trees?
To the gourmetgal: From what I've read, citrus plants are heavy feeders--perhaps your plant needs a but of fertilizer (a rhodendron-formulated one should work well, as they both like acidic soil). Or maybe it needs a bigger pot of a root trimming if it's been in the same pot for a few years. (But what do I know? My Meyer Lemon is tiny and hasn't produced any fruit.)
I vote for a bay leaf plant--citrus trees are a bit tricky to coax into fruiting--you'll have wonderful leaves to put in your cooking, all year round.
Cook the Book: 'New Classic Family Dinners'
Pasta with bolognese sauce! But really, anything that the toddler will eat in a civil manner constitutes a favorite family meal...
Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'
I love Serious Eats and David Leibovitz!
Cook the Book: 'Japanese Hot Pots'
My mother used to make a brothy soup of tomatoes, potatoes, and ground beef, flavored with sesame oil. I loved eating it with rice!
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 75: Can (and Should) I Give Up the Flavored Liquid Habit?
I sometimes get cravings for ginger ale or cola, but when I indulge, I drink the real sugar versions in a glass full of ice to make it last longer (plus they all seem a little too sweet to me now). I also make a deal with myself that for every flavored drink I have, I must chug an extra glass of water. I drag a 750ml glass bottle of a concoction of Red Zinger herbal tea, white tea, and pomegranate juice (which I love for the mild caffeine buzz, not-too-sweet taste, and the slight tannic taste) to the office, drink that throughout the day, plus two or three glasses of water in between. (I have been upping my liquid intake in an effort to up amniotic fluid for the past few weeks and this--in theory-will help with post-partum weight loss.)
Good luck, Ed--I love flavored liquids and am so far unwilling to give them up for similar reasons you're not.
"I LOVE ANGEL HAIR, BUT HATE SPAGHETTI!!!" ..... WTF?!
I think these preferences are pretty common--I know people who will eat cooked onions but not raw and I like my cilantro well-chopped (but not in gross whole leaves). Penne is not my favorite shape of pasta (but I'll eat it) and I can see why people won't touch and will have a preference for the angel hair (more surface area for sauce to cling to?). The food preferences of toddlers are TRULY bizarre, though: my 2.5 yr old will only eat cherry tomatoes he picks from our garden (hello, choking hazard!), but will not eat store-bought tomatoes of any kind. He'll also eat cooked tomato sauces on pasta but only if it it smooth and does not have chunks of tomato in it.
'What We Eat When We Eat Alone'
My grandmother used to eat saltines and condensed milk as a meal when she couldn't be bothered to cook. But add me to the list of people who eat things their SOH won't eat, like ramen (with a fried or poached egg! or two!), ginger ale, fried tofu, edamame, and lima beans. Oh, he doesn't know what he's missing! ;)
Dinner Tonight: Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta
I really like these Dinner Tonight posts--I come home after working a full-time job to a ravenous 2.25 yr-old and hungry husband (who has also worked a full day) and sometimes I need some new ideas or reminders of dishes we might like to eat for dinner. I can't grocery shop every day and depend on a well-stocked pantry and fridge to get us through the week. I also can't stand around leisurely around my kitchen and think about what I'm going to cook that night--the moment I come home, I put on an apron and start my prep. Supper must be ready in 30-45 minutes, otherwise A HORRIBLE MELTDOWN ensues. I mean, an almost 8-mo pregnant woman who needs her food can be ugly to deal with and sometimes the toddler is slightly difficult, too (ha, ha).
In need of Feta cheese recipe ideas
David Lebovitz has a couple of recipes I've tried and loved:
Marinated Feta
(http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/08/marinated_feta.html)
and Joanne Weir's Cucumber and Feta Salad Recipe
(http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/08/joanne_weirs_cucumber_and_feta_s.html).
The first is especially good for preserving large amounts of feta.
Cook the Book: Pickled Daikon, Carrot, and Cucumber
Gah...I wish I knew. I didn't put it in the microwave (which a nuked bowl of water in which a slice of lemon is floating will get rid of the smell) and I didn't want to spray air freshener (which is usually worse). I'm embarrassed to admit I think I didn't do anything except wait (of course, there's a coworker who is always cooking frozen broccoli in the microwave, which emits its own funkiness...). Maybe some lime/lemon juice and zest in a spray bottle?
Cook the Book: Pickled Daikon, Carrot, and Cucumber
Warning: I made myself a homemade bahn mi (I don't live in a very metropolitan area) and brought it to work where everyone was laid low by the cabbage-y smell of pickled daikon. I still ate it proudly, but I'm just saying that the daikon may be quite pungent smelling.
Thailand Night Market Spicy Fried Chicken?
I think Pim had an entry on her blog about it, complete with recipe and methodology (http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2008/11/thai-marinated.html) and then Rasa Malasia...
Duck
Herbfarm has a very spectacular method/recipe for duck parts (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herb-Rubbed-Duck-with-Tart-Cherry-and-Sage-Sauce-104127) which reads long, but I've taken shortcuts, like using demi-glace in the sauce instead of making the stock. It's delicious and I wish I could be eating it now...
A Beginner's Guide to Passover Coke
Isn't Canadian Coke also made with sucrose and not corn syrup?
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 61: The Acid Reflux Chest Tightness Diet
My husband has bouts of reflux that are made worse by stress and lack of sleep (like Maureen). To cope, he eats Japanese-style: only eat until 80% full and we eat home-style Japanese food, which tends to be low on animal protein, not very fatty (just stay away from the tempura and tonkatsu!), and somewhat thrifty, once you have the staples. It's disappointing to me not to be able to eat duck confit all the time (I wish!)--when it's reflux time, we crack open Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh and get cooking.
It also helps that we eat early because we have to feed a starving 2-year-old as soon as he gets home from daycare and we have a hot ginger-honey drink (ginger is good for the digestive system--boiling water, a tsp or so of honey, a couple of coins of lightly pounded ginger in a cup) every night.
melting macaroons
Thanks everyone!
I live in Sonoma County. It has been sort of rainy lately, although yesterday was dry.
I wish they were more picture perfect, but I just had a bite of one (trimmed to look prettier of course) and it was so good.
Lot's of good advise here.
Marshmallow, I am so going to try the Beijinhos de Coco recipe. It sounds really intriguing!
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
My secret ingredient?
Love...
melting macaroons
Where do you live and what's the weather like? If it's raining or >60% humidity, that could be your problem.
melting macaroons
I use Martha Stewart's recipe from her cookie book: unsweetened coconut, egg whites, sugar and vanilla extract.
It works every time, the only problem I've ever had was when I accidentally used sweetened coconut, which made them too runny. But if I'd actually read her instructions I would have seen that when using sweetened coconut you cut the sugar waaaay down. Haven't had a problem since. Hope that helps!
melting macaroons
Is it raining there? There's usually a disclaimer on recipes for macaroons (and other egg white goodies like divinity) that warns against making them on humid days.
Try tossing the dry coconut with one tablespoon of all-purpose flour (if you're serving them for Passover, add two tablespoons of almond flour). Once the cookies have been formed, let the cookie sheets sit on the counter for half an hour to form a shell, and then bake.
And if that doesn't work, top them with almonds, dip them in chocolate and enjoy your homemade Almond Joys.
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
Nice series! I've been cooking Thai food for years and find great satisfaction in pounding away at a curry paste to release its fragrance. Note that kaffir limes freeze well - just pop them in a ziploc bag whole and stash for a year or more. I always have some in the freezer as they are seasonal, and even here in CA not always easy to find in the off-season. The dried rind is a very good pantry item. Kaffir lime leaves are quite easy to find in CA - even many supermarkets have them here, but limes are another matter entirely.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
The key is suet. Almost impossible to find in New York these days, but the butchers at Ottomanelli will scoop it out of the porterhouse sides by hand if you ask them nicely. Browning the beef (and pork if you use it) in rendered suet gives an incredible depth of flavor.
Beyond this I use freshly ground anchos, pasillas and especially guajillos, with pequins or birdseyes ground in by hand to taste as the chili cooks. My guide is John Thorne, though I add tomato paste and sometimes beer (to deglaze) or pork belly if I have a taste for it. And... onion powder. So not politically correct all the way. But SUET... if you can find it. Some butchers have openly laughed at me when I asked for it. "We used to feed it to the birds!" said one East Village butcher, otherwise a kingly establishment.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
My company had a Halloween chili cook off. I entered a vegetarian chili (my first time making chili). The base of it was kidney beans, tomatoes, and lentils. To up the savory quotient, I added several things including:
-carmelized onions deglazed w/ red wine
-roasted corn
-salted, dry-fried mushrooms
-stock made with seaweed and corn cobs (both a big source of natural umami flavor)
My chili turned out really well and I honestly liked it 1st or 2nd best of all the chilies there (out of 20). I ended up losing the vegetarian competition to a chili that had lots of fresh veggies but tasted like salsa.
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
LiveFreeOrDine: I'm so glad that you tried the pastes! I pick up kaffir lime and kaffir lime leaves from a Thai/Vietnamese shop In Chinatown, Manhattan. Sadly, I've not found them in Chinese grocery stores. Kaffir lime rind can also be found dried, in which case you would soak them in water before use. If you really get into Thai curry pastes, it may not be a bad idea to get a pack of the dried rind from a specialty source online.
The peppers will keep in your fridge for a week or so without any noticeable change in quality. I've been using them when one of my Mexican recipes calls for a jalapeno pepper, and with great success! Also, if you happen to run low on the dried red peppers, you can substitute the bird's eye chilies in a pinch. They'd also be great in gumbo - I tossed in a couple during preliminary trials of my gumbo.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
Young's Double Chocolate Stout and beef shortribs, braised Italian style but in proper Mexican chili spices.
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
Oh yes... and what should I do with the extra 40 birdseye peppers I ended up getting?
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
I made each curry paste today, and tried out the scallops tonight. The dish was fantastic! I also got quite a thrill from cracking the coconut.
Tomorrow I may have to see if I can find an eggplant suitable for one person.
A few notes: I wasn't able to find a kaffir lime; are they perhaps seasonal? I went to an H Mart, which seemed to have every other conceivable ingredient, and also to a much smaller local store.
Also, I tried making the red curry paste in my blender, but it was nowhere near manly enough to handle that task. Frozen bananas, yes; shallots, apparently not. The food processor worked fine, though, even if it is a bit of an antique.
In any event, this is a fantastic set of recipes. Thank you!
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
I have a few different ones, but I always use a bit of red wine, pinch of cinnamon, and recently used black refried bean (typically I use kidney beans), added a really killer flavor and texture.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
Pickled jalapenos with some juice, either a fresh habanero or chipotle chiles in adobo, or both, crushed pineapple and cilantro.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
I typically use a bit of mole, 50% ground turkey / 50% ground sirloin, and a couple cans of green chili. This trifecta delights and stumps my guests, as well as prompts my wife to do the dishes.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
My go-to chili recipe contains Coca-Cola and always comes out delicious. I recently tried it with beer instead of the Coke and that was also awesome.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
I puree the tin of chipotles in adobo - all the contents - in the blender and add o spoonful of the mix to my bean filled (veggie) chili. Also use 2 jalapenos and a spoonful of dried chili flakes.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
The secrets to my chili depend on what kind of chili I am making, but it almost always involves a really good hunk of beef (think tri tip) cut into 2"x1"x1/2" slices.
I'm a proponent beans in chili. Especially, really good beans like the Rancho Gordo Pinquitos I use in my Chili Con Carne recipe. Tomatoes are less essential - depending.
Some other ingredients I use in my various chilis to give them oomph are:
Red Wine
Cheese - usually Cheddar or Jack
1/2 ground pork, 1/2 ground chuck
1/2 red, 1/2 yellow onions
Plenty of Garlic
Fresh Chili Peppers
Dried Chili Peppers
Really good chili powder, oregano and cumin.
I am not a big fan of chicken chili. But, that's just me.
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
KoalaisnotaBear: Yes, it's variation - If you add something like thinly sliced onions, you'll want to sweat or brown them prior to adding the water and coconut milk.
Camberwell Now: The tinge of the paste will depend on your usage of the cilantro - if you only use the roots, it'll end up brownish. If you use the stems, the paste will become greener - plus, you have to use quite a few more of the stems than the root, as the root is more pungent.
Cissa: You'll just need a few tablespoons of the paste! Sorry - should've specified. It's really to your taste - for a serving of 4 people, 4 to 5 tablespoons ought to do it.
ncsuemme: I'm not sure I understand the question - you mean, leaving the pastes out to pickle? Let me know what you mean.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
Oh, and because I think you'll all find it amusing: I got the coffee-in-the-chili tip from....Seventeen magazine, circa 1993. I have no idea why it stuck in my mind, but it did.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
About a half a cup of strong brewed coffee. It adds a great smoky, meatiness to vegetarian chili. Add a chipotle in adobo sauce and who needs the beef?
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
One ripe mango pureed momentarily masks the heat with a gentle touch of sweet.
Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green
Hey, I was wondering if this curry could be canned to be preserved? I assume it can be frozen, but I wonder if those baby 2 and 4oz jars might be great to can these pastes up.
Serious Heat: What's Your Secret Chili Ingredient?
I have a fairly straight forward chili recipe to which I add a splash of liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, some cocoa powder and I thicken it with a slurry of cool liquid and masa horina. The latter probably does the most to identify the flavor of my chili creation.
I'm not above spooning it over a bag of Fritos and garnishing with diced onions, shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.
Recent Posts
Marshmallow hasn't written a post yet.
Recent Favorites
Marshmallow hasn't favorited a post yet.
Polls
Marshmallow hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
Marshmallow hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Awesome. I love that recipe and I've made it many times. Good luck! (And my link would work if only there was no end bracket--doh! My bad!)