Kate Williams's Profile

Oakland's Best Cheap Eats: 18 Great Bites Under $5

@kenji El Gordo (42nd and International) has a pastor spit on the weekends. Or at least they used to... haven't been in a while.

Parmesan Bacon Gougères From 'Down South'

@tamidon and @yaya41: It's best to freeze the shaped dough before cooking. You can bake them without defrosting. Just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

@whiskey boy, @Jonathan King, and @Tipskykit37: Since this photo was from the book, and didn't have a caption, I can only venture to guess what the sauce is that they're using on the gougeres. There's a recipe in the same chapter for hot mustard sauce that looks like it could match up. Sounds like it'd be tasty to me!

Grilled Chicken on a Stick with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce From 'Down South'

@Tbird: You could substitute pretty much any liquid sweetener. Corn syrup will be the most neutral, but I could imagine that honey would taste pretty good as well. Stick to milder flavors though. Maple syrup will have a strong presence, so I wouldn't use it unless you're really into maple flavor!

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder With Kumquats and Chilies, From 'Down South'

@Agnes and MBH12: I used a skinless cut of pork, but I'm sure you could use skin-on if you'd like. The skin will be soft and slightly chewy, not crisp.

@oren and Amandarama: I'm not sure that a full 6-pound shoulder will fit in a slower cooker; if not you can certainly cut it down to fit. Since you won't be browning the roast in the first portion of cooking, you may want to sear it in a pan first before adding it to the slow cooker. I'd also cut back on the amount of water called for (maybe by half?). I'd definitely cook this on the low setting, probably for 8 to 10 hours.

Chicken Croquettes (Croquetas de Pollo) From 'Spain'

@tragre: I'm not sure if baking will work because the croquettes need to cook quickly so that the outside browns before the inside liquifies. (There's a lot of butter in there!)

Speckenwolf Pizza With Mozzarella, Oregano, Onion, Mushroom, and Speck From 'Roberta's'

@Andrew Cates: 00 flour is a finely milled Italian flour.

Empanada with Marinated Pork and Roasted Red Peppers (Empanada de Lomo) From 'Spain'

@autumn produce: Yeah, I WISH I was that good of a crimper! Mine turned out much more "rustic."

Southwest Cowboy Chili From 'Nom Nom Paleo'

@xatrak and sbcali52: Thanks for pointing out the typo. Fixing it now!

Chicken and Dumplings From 'Lighten Up, America!'

@malyna: Should say that you reserve 8 cups broth, AND all of the chicken. I'll go back and fix it for clarity. Thanks!

Smoked Salmon Crème Fraîche Tart With a Cornmeal Millet Crust From 'Whole-Grain Mornings'

@jgomoll: Add the millet to the dough using a fork after the water has been added.

Fragrant Sea Scallop Cakes From 'One Good Dish'

@lovemcm, jonnybeatzu, and CanYouSayYum?: Great idea on the bay scallops. How did the reheating work out?

@Glows: You can use lime zest and jalapenos instead of the kaffir lime leaves and Thai chiles

Polenta With Winter Salad, Poached Egg, and Blue Cheese From 'Feast'

@kevinm: The polenta does thicken up quickly when cooking it in this method. Keep the heat low and stir frequently. The final addition of milk should thin it out to a spoonable consistency. As far as the water added to the greens is concerned, I liked that it made the vegetables saucy. There's no reason why you couldn't skip it next time, though.

Meat Loaf From 'Lighten Up, America!'

@bubblerich: You just need to cook the meatloaf until the ground pork is safe to eat, so 160 degrees.

@miss_striker: You could increase the amount of ground beef in the recipe, but you may want to use a blend with a little bit more fat to make up for the loss in fat from cutting out the pork.

@in2puck: You can use more pork and beef instead of the veal.

Split Pea Soup With Ham From 'Lighten Up, America!'

@Ravenous!: The link is at the bottom of the post.

Old-Fashioned Pounded Cheese With Walnuts and Port Syrup From 'The New Midwestern Table'

@Zach A.: Get the butter out of the fridge before you start making the syrup. It should be at the right temperature once you've finished prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish From 'The New Midwestern Table'

@davidd2308: I think the sauce might get too thick if you cook the chicken in it. I'd poach the chicken in the stock before step 3, remove the chicken, and then use the enriched stock in the rest of the dish.

Spaghetti Junction: The $4 Spaghetti That Tastes Almost as Good as the $24 Spaghetti From Roy Choi's 'L.A. Son'

@Flagg: The garlic is left whole so that it maintains a softer sweetness instead of the sharper bite that comes from mincing or pressing it. It also wouldn't confit as effectively in smaller pieces as it would turn dark brown or even burn after only a short time in the hot oil.