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Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Free yourselves from the tyranny of canned pumpkin! Make your own pumpkin custard!!!
Serious Green: Go Heritage and Local with Your Bird This Thanksgiving
@Chowdahead: never quite understood this type of anger. Why so much bitterness? Why do you feel so threatened when someone explains to you in plain english, with lots of facts at hand, why industrial food, especially animal based industrial food, is bad? You are on this site, presumably it's because you like food. Aren't you interested in knowing what's better? Better in more ways than one, the primary, most important one being TASTE. It's astonishing. You'd rather keep your head in the sand (or somewhere else perhaps) at the expense of not just some lofty causes (the well being of the animals you eat, of the farmers who raise your food, of the national economy that provides you with security, of the planet which sustains all of us) but your own pleasure and experience. It's mind boggling.
The Making of the 'Uovo in Raviolo' at Manhattan's SD26
@Mattx52: the yolks don't set when they are insulated by the ricotta. Also, I don't poach in boiling water, too violent, I use consommé with I keep at a gentle simmer. Third, yes, my pasta is thin and cooks in less than two minutes. Fourth, they are small enough and intended to be eaten in one bite. No breaking with the fork necessary. I can assure you that they do indeed "work."
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
"If a restaurant is at 34th and 8th, the food's probably not very good."
This made me LOL. 34th street is the worst street in all Manhattan.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Free yourselves from the tyranny of canned pumpkin! Make your own pumpkin custard!!!
Serious Green: Go Heritage and Local with Your Bird This Thanksgiving
@Chowdahead: never quite understood this type of anger. Why so much bitterness? Why do you feel so threatened when someone explains to you in plain english, with lots of facts at hand, why industrial food, especially animal based industrial food, is bad? You are on this site, presumably it's because you like food. Aren't you interested in knowing what's better? Better in more ways than one, the primary, most important one being TASTE. It's astonishing. You'd rather keep your head in the sand (or somewhere else perhaps) at the expense of not just some lofty causes (the well being of the animals you eat, of the farmers who raise your food, of the national economy that provides you with security, of the planet which sustains all of us) but your own pleasure and experience. It's mind boggling.
The Making of the 'Uovo in Raviolo' at Manhattan's SD26
@Mattx52: the yolks don't set when they are insulated by the ricotta. Also, I don't poach in boiling water, too violent, I use consommé with I keep at a gentle simmer. Third, yes, my pasta is thin and cooks in less than two minutes. Fourth, they are small enough and intended to be eaten in one bite. No breaking with the fork necessary. I can assure you that they do indeed "work."
The Making of the 'Uovo in Raviolo' at Manhattan's SD26
These are absolutely amazing. I made smaller ones with quail eggs for a one bite sized version. They were even better.
As far as this is concerned:
"You could sprinkle gold leaf on top and still hardly up the indulgence factor."
Correct, because gold leaf has no flavor. The only thing you increase when putting gold leaf on food is the pretentious asshole factor.
A Flavorful Grass-Fed Burger from Patty and Bun in Greenwich Village
City Burger failed because it was in a complete wasteland of a location, and the design of the store made it look like a run of the mill fast food shit hole (which, to a certain degree it was, La Frieda or not.) The burger was decent, but just too anonymous in both preparation and packaging. And again, the location was just atrocious. I think they thought that their geographically central midtown address would bring them lots of lunch business, but this was a grave miscalculation.
Good to see that there are some newcomers with the balls to buck the now ubiquitous "smashed burger" trend. And also good to see that the esteemed Nick Solares won't respond with a knee jerk poo-pooing of all things grass fed, as his mentor does all too consistently.
[Most affordable] Kitchen supply stores?
Zabars is great, good selection and fair prices. University Housewares on 113th is too, and if you are buying a lot of stuff you can haggle a bit. The Bowery is the way to go but you have to comparison shop, as one place will have some better prices for some things and not for others. Avoid the Bari store. They have everything but they are expensive. Don't remember the name but there is a huge place accross from them that has better selection and prices. There's also the Broadway Panhandler, they often do deeply discounted stuff, and NY Cake Co. that specializes in baking supplies, they can be a little expensive but will have hard to find items and are a great resource especially when you can't wait for an Internet order to be shipped. Avoid Sur La Table at all costs, I've never seen a more obscenely overpriced rip off operation.
Cook the Book: 'How to Roast a Lamb'
Rubbed generously with dijon mustard, roast until falling off the bone, served with gratin dauphinois.
Macaron Glacé = Ice Cream Sandwich with Macarons and Gelato
You found the G Spot!
What The Yankees Ate Before The World Series Win
"Sofrito Paella
- 6-8 servings -"
Reading is fun!
Sandwich Alley: New York's West Village Block of Sandwich Deliciousness
Bravo! Excellent work, this is what I come to SE for. Thank you.
100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
On second reading, #23 would be in the realm of above and beyond service, I don't think anyone expects that. When I really like a wine during a tasting service and they offer to write it down for me, I do notice and appreciate it though (and I tip accordingly.)
100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
I agree 100% with this list. Especially #3, 5 and ESPECIALLY #41. I would add to #9, when reciting specials, always include the price of said specials.
@happyeats - it doesn't cross your mind before hand, but when any of these rules are broken you notice right away and it is at best off-putting. This has nothing to do with being uptight. It's about being polite and offering good service.
French in a Flash: Bouillabaisse Pasta
No worries, just thought I'd clarify it :)
French in a Flash: Bouillabaisse Pasta
Crème de cassis is from Dijon. In this case cassis is the fruit, black currant, used to make the liqueur. The town of Cassis in the south has nothing to do with it. They do however have their own AOC, making reds, rosés and whites, which they are most famous for.
Yankees vs. Phillies: The Serious Eats World Series
You have some serious reading comprehension issues.
Yankees vs. Phillies: The Serious Eats World Series
Where NY wins is with bourgeois dining.
Yankees vs. Phillies: The Serious Eats World Series
Sorry, as much as I love NY and the Yankees, Philly wins hands down when it comes to greasy low brow street food. They also have some award winning BBQ pitmasters, and some amazing Peking duck, better than we have in here.
NYC: Mia Dona?
Called to check, they're open. Reviews on Yelp are good for the most part, but it is Yelp after all, home of the most vappid users on the internet.
Seriously Italian: Broccoli Romanesco
I don't find it creepy and weird at all. It's stunningly gorgeous. I wish all our veggies had such an amazing fractal symmetry. It looks like a jewel.
Shake Shack, Bill's, and RUB: It's Rainin' Smashed Burgers In This Burg
I agree. Bill's is good but totally over rated. This noise comes from the unstoppable PR machine that is Josh Ozersky and his mini me, Nick Solares, as they shill incessantly for their buddies over at Pat Lafrieda. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But we shouldn't pretend it's anything else. And I also agree that the smashed burger method is getting way too many accolades, also artificially by those with the influence and means to make their voices heard. Bruni was correct in his opion that smashed burgers need to eaten as doubles, because otherwise there is too much bread etc in each bite, since the patty becomes so thin. Last time I checked burgers were about beef. Give me a big, plump, tender, crispy crusted juicy burger cooked BLOODY RARE please. Can't do rare with the smashed burgers.
Sous-Vide Cooking with Heston Blumenthal
The ban in NYC was lifted in 2007 but restaurants that wish to use sv in their kitchens must complete and submit a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan, which can be prohibitively expensive for all but the most high end restaurants.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Don't forget the citrus! We have big lemon fans in my family and it's really nice after a big meal. I'm making my own meyer lemon curd this year *fingers crossed*.
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
I'm sure you must feel you had it coming (I should've known, etc), I'm happy you chose to out them. I thumbed through my Zagat last week, checking my experiences against the ratings. I got several attacks of apoplexy. How could these anonymous morons rate this place or that one so highly? But Zagat is a democracy, and opinions are culled, and even dare I say, interpreted from many opinions. Grand Sichuan 9th Ave, one I especially hated for precipitously declining food and offensive servers, got raves. Bar Stuzzichini, one of the finest affordable Sicilian kitchens, passed for good, when after ten visits, I found to be stupendous.
We can all agree on one thing: My stomach and I have been friends too long to pull a thing like that on it..
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
@Carey Jones,
I was really pleased to read this review yesterday just before heading one block from my office to try this place for the first time. It is true that good places to eat around here are limited to Mooncake Foods, my favorite Halal truck, and the French Macaron Cafe, so I truly had high hopes for Lucy's. THANK YOU FOR THE WAKEUP CALL that was this review, but especially, thanks for the heads up about the ambience!
I felt like I was in a cross between the bar at the Cancun airport, and a hooters. CREEPY. However, I ordered the Baja sliders, and those tiny little burgers, covered in mystery sauce they may have been, were COOKED TO PERFECTION. None of the other sliders in the neighborhood come close to the medium-rare perfection of these tasty little treats. I chased them down with the most delicious Michelada I've had in months (I was able to substitute the recommended Corona Light for a Negra Modelo, thank goodness).
Despite being scantily clad on the rainy day that it was, the servers were very friendly. I think it's terrible that they have to wear those outfits, really.
@megperks - REAL Mexican food goldmine on East 116th Street, try Taqueria El Paso, among others.
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
All I can say is "WOW" I mean dayam... this is really a terrible, terrible review. I have friends who work in the area and will definitely be warning them from this... the anger spews from the monitor and hurts! It burns!
PS I'm with the people who said it's good to see the mediocre reviews too.
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
I work in this area and so sad that we have hardly any good lunch options. Mooncake is the only place I can bring a friend to so far
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
@finewinendine: Me too.
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
I'd love to see Lucy's Cantina Royale's response to this.
Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale
It is also good to put up mediocre and bad reviews to give contrast to the glowing ones. Maybe Ed would lose the "Easy Ed" nickname he has gotten for consistently positive reviews (unless there is some additional reason earning him the name...)
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
I've never been a fan of pumpkin pie, so any other alternative is a welcome treat! In my family I'd have to say Banana Cream Pie is the favorite of most of those who aren't on a diet!
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Even canned pumpkin is not always pure pumpkin. Sometimes there's other varieties of squash in it. Just substitute your favorite squash. Delicata makes really good pie.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
this pear pie is another good option (if I do say so myself)
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
What? You mean you guys don't grow your own winter squash? :-)
(Actually, I didn't get a crop this year either. Drought.)
Isn't canned pumpkin actually cushaw squash? I think I heard that somewhere. The only difference between a "pumpkin" and a "squash" is cosmetic, anyway.
Sweet potatoes seem plentiful, and sweet potato pie seems more forgiving than pumpkin pie. They're a lot easier to peel, for starters. If you really must have a custard pie made with an orange vegetable, it seems sweet potato would be the way to go. Butternut squash is probably a runner up. Much higher flesh to seed ratio than pumpkins.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
There are other brands of canned pumpkin out there too! It's silly to think that Libby's is the one and only brand to buy. We have a regional canned pumpkin here and it is cheaper and better than Libby's. No shortage where I am either. Also, one of our grocery stores sells their own generic brand of pumpkin. Don't feel like you need to buy name brand food just because it is the most popular or most advertised (like on SE).
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
That should have read "I was able to buy canned squash as usual"
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
My "pumpkin" pies have always been squash pies. Very similar flavor, but more delicate. I was able to buy canned pumpkin as usual, but I got it back when the shortage was first noted. Hubbard squash will make a great pie if you want to use fresh.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Hrm, I've had no problem finding canned pumpkin, either (Southern California). I read about the shortage and saw that my local market was out one week (thus confirming the story to me), so the next time I saw some I stocked up. However, ever since then (it's been a couple of weeks now) the market hasn't run out. Either no one's buying it, or SoCal is hoarding the nation's canned pumpkin.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but isn't this Serious Eats? Shouldn't this article be about how to transmogrify a real honest-to-goodness pumpkin into a gourmet pie?
Oh, and also, since Canadian Thanksgiving is long past, and I've got like four cans of the stuff in the pantry that I won't need till next year. I'll ship it to whoever makes the best offer :)
Actually, it's pumpkin puree. But it's only about four common ingredients away from being pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Well, I love pumpkin pie, and I don't just eat it at Thanksgiving - I enjoy it all year long. But if pumpkin wasn't available - well, sweet potato pie tastes just as good, and you don't even need canned anything to make it.
And pumpkin or sweet potato pie at least have some nutritive value - not a lot, but there's some fibre and beta carotene hidden inside, as well as a whack of Vitamin A. Tarte au sucre? I'm Canadian, so it seems unpatriotic to say so, but you may as well mainline the sugar into your blood. Same thing with most pecan/shoofly/etc. pies - all sugar, no nutrition.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
I, too hate pumpkin pie. Or at least the "traditional" slippery, overly spiced canned pumpkin pie with the wet crust. But give me a sweet potato pie and I'm all over it. And fresh pumpkins don't do much for me, either. The smell of the innards makes me gag. Don't tell my family but the pumpkin pies they've loved for so many years have actually been sweet potato pies (evil grin).
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Sorry to be the lone hater, but I hate pumpkin pie, this is a great excuse to make a double pecan pie instead!
Just follow the recipe on the dark Kayo, and double the amount of Pecans (use good ones, Sunnyland will ship you some). The extra pecans balance out the super sweet caramel custard filling.
If you are too lazy to make a crust, buy the Pillsbury Just Unroll, which Cook's Illustrated rates #1 in premade. It's bland, but not offensively bad.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
i've had no problem finding pumpkin in manhattan...i feel like i should start conserving some for use later in the winter!
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
My husband is French Canadian, so around this time every year I make Tarte au Sucre, or Sugar Pie. It's made with butter, evaporated milk, and brown sugar, and it's delicious warm with vanilla ice cream. Unlike just about everyone else on this thread, I really do like pumpkin pie, but sugar pie is a nice alternative that's really easy to make.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
I think I'd definitely go down the pecan pie route. Not sure why, but it feels as though that would fit a pumpkin pie shaped hole quite well.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
I roasted one of those big French pumpkins yesterday and it's true that it takes a little time (mainly, letting it sit in a colander to drain after cooking since it has a lot of water in it), but it's only once a year and the color of pie is a gorgeous orange you don't get from canned pumpkin.
PS. I don't actually eat pumpkin pie (hate it); I make them for a community center dinner.
Pumpkin Pie Alternatives for Thanksgiving
Wow that fig pie photo looks so nice!
Since Canadian Thanksgiving was earlier, I looked into making pumpkin pie too, and a quick research yielded that most canned pumpkin are made with a kind of squash (Dickinson Field squash) related to the pumpkin. This was a Santa-is-not-real kind of moment for me. I innocently always thought pumpkin pies were made from those jack-o-lantern pumpkins....
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Serious Efforts: Making aged hard cheeses at home
Posted by simon, September 3, 2009 at 1:14 PM
Serious Efforts: vacuum sealing liquids in a Foodsaver for SV
Posted by simon, May 26, 2009 at 5:25 PM
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First Look at the New Yankee Stadium Food
Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 15, 2009 at 6:35 PM
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"If a restaurant is at 34th and 8th, the food's probably not very good."
This made me LOL. 34th street is the worst street in all Manhattan.