I was making the no-knead bread at my parents' place recently and they had a Le Creuset with the black knob, I just unscrewed the knob and put the screw back into the hole so that the steam wouldn't escape, I used oven mitts to take the lid off and on; it worked out just fine.
At a weekend cabin in northern Michigan, our uncle neglected to tell us that the old restaurant stove he had installed was hooked up with propane and not natural gas. My older brother, a short order cook at the time was going to make breakfast, he lit a match and tried to get the stove going. He and my younger brother and I were peering into the hole and waiting, and waiting and waiting. The stove didn't light. Another match, then another one and when it finally lit, kaboom! I lost a good part of my hair, my eyebrows and eyelashes; my older brother was left with only half of his mustache and baby brother (11 years old at the time) was screaming at me to stop hitting him on the head (he didn't realize he was on fire). I guess propane doesn't rise as quickly as natural gas.
The tomato sandwich gets my vote. I'm living a half block away from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor Michigan, so I buy a loaf of their farm bread, some tomatoes from the farmer's market across the street. I toast the bread, add some mayo or goat cheese, slice the warm tomatoes and put it all together. The other way I love tomatoes (other than all of the great ideas above) is in gazpacho - my husband lived in Barcelona for a long time, so his is really good.
Don't forget that No Reservations is a re-make of the German film, Bella Martha (American title: Mostly Martha) and that the sous-chef in that one seduces her through Italian food. If we look beyond just the French food as high culture paradigm and place it in the context of European and then global cuisine, the question of hierarchy becomes more interesting. The French themselves were able to impose the idea of their language, their culture (art, literature, fashion, film, etc.), and their food as superior to others and most of the rest of us were convinced! Ironically, it's their own philosophical innovations of post-modernism (and within that deconstruction) that give us the tools to bring them down. Why should we place one cuisine on a higher rung of the ladder than another? Finally though, the questions of quality, public health, sustainability and local economy are at the forefront, but once again, the French and Italians are way ahead of us on that one.
I also have tons of cookbooks, but my "collection" is red Bakelite cooking utensils. My new acquisition is a magic chef stove with red trim and red Bakelite handles - given to me by a friend who is remodeling, I'm so lucky!
Lately I've been mixing up large glasses of grapefruit gimlets on the rocks: lots of ice in a tall glass, a little Rose's lime juice, a shot or two of gin, a splash of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, top off with sparkling water. If I get the urge early in the day, I make it without the gin.
I am not kidding when I say that someone who used to work with Alton Brown told me that Alton made cheese from his wife's breast milk. Urban legend? Maybe. Believable though? I wouldn't doubt it that he would try it if the thought occurred to him.
Hey thanks for all the info, guys. I've been making little batches of refrigerator pickles for a while and wanting to graduate to more serious pickle making. I'm going to take the leap.
The only things other than food in my fridge/freezer right now are some film, blue ice freezer packs and the canister from my ice cream maker.
My husband makes something like this but he does it on a grill at a fairly low temperature for about 6 hours. Also, you can boil the marinade and reduce it to make a sauce. So delicious.
Unfortunately jpolk I live in the most southern tip of Texas. Thanks to everyone for you suggestions. Thankfully nooner helped me out. I'm glad everyone on this site is really nice.
Dave,
Where are you? Broadway Panhandler in Greenwich Village, NYC has them. Or, chances are, you could contact Le Creuset and pay an arm and a leg in shipping if the mood dictates.
Would wrapping it with a thick wad of foil help? I did that when I tried the Bittman bread recipe, and the knob was fine.
I have an extra one (still in the wrapper). Email me at bbqja@yahoo.com if you are interested.
your hardware store is your best idea - I replaced mine for a little
over $ 2.00 with a nice looking brass knob
Maybe try calling their outlet store (which sells first-quality products, nto your usual outlet mall stuff) in Destin, Fl. It's in the Silver Sands Outlet mall. Their phone # is 850-654-5900. Hope this helps.
Follow up on that Wild Boar Pernil. It came out great - really tender and yummy. I pretty much let it cook all day on low heat - covered. Thanks for the input.
Thanks, will do that! I wondered if covering would help - since most Pernil recipes call for uncovered but Boar is ...well, tough would be an understatement, wouldn't it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
My 2 cents' worth on the wild boar: I'd leave it in the marinade longer, and cook it long and slow, mostly with a cover on it - a braise, really. I've marinated venison 5 days, and it was worth it.
Nelson, I came across your recipe for Pernil which you posted last year and am in the process of making one right now. The difference is I am using a Wild Boar Shoulder, that was given to me by a hunter friend. Since you seem very knowledgeable about it - I was wondering if you think I need to add some fat - a lot of wild game recipes call for bacon - or if you think that the slow cooking will tenderize the meat enough with what little fat is there.
Thanks, LeeBee
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