My original plan for dinner tomorrow night was braised lamb shanks. I always start my braise on the stove top for browning and then it's into the oven for the long haul. Unfortunately, my oven is on the fritz. My question is, do people find the results the same when braising on the cook top?
Does anyone have advice on what kind of immersion blender to buy or what features / specifications to look for?
I'm planning to up the ante by adding some fresh porcinis to my pasta sauce (usually made with only dried porcinis). My question is how to prep them. Do I remove the stems and discard, then slice and use the cap? Do I also slice and use the stems (separately or together with the cap)?
I watch AB more for technique and knowledge than recipes. But, the one recipe I've made faithfully -- glazed carrots using ginger ale -- is easy and came out perfectly. So I guess, yay.
Stove-top worked out great, thanks all. Ended up with short ribs instead of shanks, and did them with celery root puree and a mixture of favas (first ones I've seen this year), parsley, and lemon zest.
Thanks guys! Now the only question is whether my tiny little range can accommodate what I want to do...
I'm interested in the bbq standoff -- it's sort of like a Jets - Dolphins game. Also, for sandwiches, don't forget Darwin's in Cambridge, just a great shop for 20% less than your neighborhood Pax Gourmet.
I am fully in Batali's camp, mostly because I think the sauce tastes better when it doesn't drown out the pasta. I don't think pasta should just be a vehicle for soup. Basically, I find a huge bowl of tomato sauce with some pasta lurking underneath pretty unappealing.
I agree with David. I thought it was clear throughout the competition just by looking at Dale's dishes that he was an inferior chef to Hung. Whatever the judges said about his lack of "heart" or "soul" in earlier episodes, it seemed pretty obvious that if you were opening a high-end restaurant you would hire Hung (I'm pretty sure Bourdain said as much in one episode).
Also, Harold had all of the details correct (Duck was 3 stars, 2 for Hung, 2 for Dale, etc. etc.).
I suppose the obvious answer is that if there is something a fancy restaurant can do to cut costs without sacrificing profit, then they are already doing it. If the price of foodstuffs rises, then my guess is that there will be more restaurants doing what Nougatine does: serving lower cost proteins with most of the higher cost fussiness. I'm actually pretty happy with this solution -- I know that I am paying for all of the extra service, amuse bouches, petit fours, etc., those are some of the reasons I go out to nice restaurants.
Not saying it should be top three, but here is another surprise: I had a far better steak at Michael Jordan's than Keen's. The beef at Keen's was fine, but the steak bore absolutely no char, whereas my steak at MJ's was perfectly cooked. I would definitely recommend giving MJ's a try, I've also never had any problem getting a table there on short or no notice.
I'm with ChristineB. I have always and will always eat my Mac & Cheese with peas.
Yeah, this place is a standout amongst otherwise dreary dining options around Columbia (sorry, Max Soha) and has naturally been pretty crowded since it opened. Robyn is right though -- portions are modest, but usually enough. If you are hungry, you will want more than just an entree. Luckily, prices are very reasonable.
@kristyandjamey...wow...thanks for posting a comment on my post from over a year ago :) Gorgonzola is one of my favorite cheeses.
SE's....any other new additions to you mac & cheese since talked about it last year?
I like Gorgonzola cheese and diced granny smith apples. I got this idea when a friend took me to a restaurant in San Francisco called Solstice. They do it there and let me tell you...Oh My Gosh! It's the best ever!!!
Try BLT Steak, while it is not a hardcore Steakhouse in the tradition of a Smith & Wollenskys or Peter Luger, it is a great Steakhouse with reasonable prices. You can do the Porterhouse, but the Butcher's Cut is also worthy of praise, which oddly you don't find too often in the NYC Steakhouse Universe.
With the hundreds of shows he's done and topics he's covered, I find it so interesting that several have noted his turkey recipe and the 3 chocolate chip recipes - based on personal preference. Those are the ones I remember most and have tried successfully as well.
To search the turkey, I remember putting turkey 500 in the search box and there it was. I was at my daughter's, she had just had a baby and they didn't have most of the brine ingredients, so I just skipped that (very involved w/lots of ingredients like candied ginger & apples) step. It was still one of the best turkeys I have ever made.
For some of the reasons discussed above, I really enjoy reading the publications from Cook's Illustrated, whether it's their magazine or cookbooks. They painstakingly detail all the tests that went into developing their recipes and give a pretty accurate description of what defines their "ideal" end product. Sometimes my opinion lines up with theirs and other times it doesn't, but at least I know beforehand.
I've never made a recipe from AB that turned out horrible -- I own all of his books and use them a lot -- but sometimes I find that I prefer someone else's recipe. For example, his muffin batter base is adequate but not spectacular for my tastes...I still eagerly anticipate every new episode of his show, though!
Dominic
the zen kitchen
I really like Alton Brown's show but not all of the reicpes we've tried have been winners. Avoid his mac and cheese recipe, both of them.
I've made several of Giada's recipes--they come out fine to me...
The reason AB uses a scale when baking is that you will get more accuracy with a scale than with measuring cups. Again baking is a science as you are dealing with chemical reactions of leavening and liquids.
You don't have to be so particular when cooking. A pinch of something will do, well, in a pinch. Recipes are written with standard measures (cups, tsps, etc) so that everyone can follow them. But most cooks will make their own adjustments to suit their palates.
If you just follow AB's recipes exactly you've missed the whole point of the show. He doesn't just spew out a recipe, he spends the show telling you the why. Armed with the knowledge from the rest of the show you can add or remove bits, alter the cooking process or make substitutions with more knowledge of what the outcome will be.
I also am not a big recipe follower, which is why Good Eats is a good show for me. I don't need yet another cookie recipe, but I could use info into what makes a cookie, crispy, chewy, or cakey.
My first attempt as making Thanksgiving turkey was made by using Alton's recipe published in (Gourmet? Bon Appetite?) I was very nervous about that bird, but Alton held my hand the whole way. It turned out great-and I got LOTS of compliments!
THANK YOU ALTON!!!!
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