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Croissant Recipe
I use the Tartine recipe. I was able to find the recipe online listed here http://www.crumblycookie.net/2009/05/24/croissants-1-tartine/
and here
http://kitchenmusings.com/2007/01/my_attempt_to_m.html
If you make extra dough, which is no biggie if you are already making one recipe, try their morning buns. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
http://www.recipelink.com/mf/14/27137
Good luck with it! When it gets tough and you're wondering what you are doing, be reassured that it'll be worth it when you are chomping down on your own homemade croissant!
Mooncakes
Definitely try and find an Asian grocery or better yet Asian bakery to find fresher, reasonable priced mooncakes. Though mooncakes are usually made and packaged to be able to last a long time, fresher ones have a very different taste because of the skin. The filling flavor and texture doesn't change too much over time, but in a fresh mooncake the skin is tender and rich in taste. As the skin ages it gets gummy, and all I taste is overwhelming sweetness.
Crazy Combinations
It's not a sandwich, but just discovered this weekend, brie and Cheetos!
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Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
A few weeks ago I made David Chang's Bo Ssam. It was delicious and easy. It's a version of what @simon is describing above.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/bo-ssam
Croissant Recipe
I use the Tartine recipe. I was able to find the recipe online listed here http://www.crumblycookie.net/2009/05/24/croissants-1-tartine/
and here
http://kitchenmusings.com/2007/01/my_attempt_to_m.html
If you make extra dough, which is no biggie if you are already making one recipe, try their morning buns. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
http://www.recipelink.com/mf/14/27137
Good luck with it! When it gets tough and you're wondering what you are doing, be reassured that it'll be worth it when you are chomping down on your own homemade croissant!
Mooncakes
Definitely try and find an Asian grocery or better yet Asian bakery to find fresher, reasonable priced mooncakes. Though mooncakes are usually made and packaged to be able to last a long time, fresher ones have a very different taste because of the skin. The filling flavor and texture doesn't change too much over time, but in a fresh mooncake the skin is tender and rich in taste. As the skin ages it gets gummy, and all I taste is overwhelming sweetness.
Crazy Combinations
It's not a sandwich, but just discovered this weekend, brie and Cheetos!
What to do with frozen taro
Deep fried crispy duck with taro. It's a great intro to the taste of taro, though it is a time intensive recipe.
Steam the taro to cook it. Then mash it up to get a nice smooth consistency. Take the seasoned mash and put a 1/2" layer on the underside of on a already cooked duck breast - roasted, pan seared, however you want to cook the duck. Lightly coat the taro in cornstarch. Then deep or shallow fry the whole thing until the taro gets that lovely brown crispy and airy quality. You have to be careful when you fry because the taro has a tendency to want to slip off. You want to keep it flat and use a spatula to keep it together when you move it. Traditionally it is served with a sticky, sweet soy sauce.
You end up with duck that is crispy on both sides! One side from the skin and the other from the taro. Soo good.
HELP: Chocolate Cake challenge (Need Flourless Vegan recipe)
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/02/vegan-flourless-chocolate-cake-made-in.html
I hope this one meets all the requirements. I've never made it. It looks like it requires some subs like egg substitute and xanthan gum. The xanthan is easy enough to find these days, but I've never heard of that egg substitute.
Any 'yall cooking with lard?
I'm not sure if it's different from before, but I do use it.
I fry with the fresh stuff sometimes and aside from the yummy flavor and crunchiness it imparts on the food, I also like how it doesn't make the house smell of grease for the few days after. It can just handle much higher temps and not burn. Last time I fried a huge batch of potato chips with a friend and at the end she was surprised the lard was as clean as the stuff we started with.
I use the packaged stuff for Chinese goodies like scallion pancakes.
Potbelly Sandwich Works: Big Sandwiches for a Small Price
I look forward to stopovers in certain airports - Midway is the closest one to the west - because I know they have a Potbelly. Yummy and totally worth missing a flight if I need to.
Curious purple vegetable in my CSA box
Also does great when prepared as a quick pickle.
Peel and slice either into half moons (1/8" thick) or matchsticks. Pickle with vinegar to cover, a decent amount of sugar, some salt, and then a healthy pinch of red pepper flake or even fresh diced chili.
I use a 2 : 1 : 1/2 vinegar, sugar, salt ratio. But I like it tart
I just toss everything into a core container or glass jar with a tightly sealing top. Shake to mix and then let sit for at least 20 min before serving. If you keep overnight, I put it in the fridge. It's yummy with it's crisp and cold straight out the the fridge.
The Fest: Our Humblest Apologies to All
I'm mad but no longer fuming about the whole fiasco. As the anger is settling, I've come to the conclusion that more than apologies, which though sincere still don't really make up for anything, Serious Eats and/or whoever ran the show owes us, the poor souls who gave up a BEAUTIFUL Saturday - if you live or have ever lived in the Bay Area you know good weather is a rarity - the good food which we expected. Gift certificates to local eatiers, mail order Pink's hot dogs, I don't care what it is, it just better be tasty.
Favorite Ramen Toppings?
There's a decent packaged product. It's manufactured by Myojo Foods.
Package name is Myogo Chukazanmi - Japanese Style Noodles with Soup Base. Comes in a few different flavors including Soybean and Miso.
We poach an egg in our soup base before adding the noodles.
It's not as good as good fresh ramen, but better than most restaurant ramen and the other packaged products. Better yet it comes in under $5
Visiting supermarkets when traveling - doesn't everyone?
Thank you for posting this! Supermarkets and markets, especially open air ones, are usually the first thing on my to-do list when I travel. I always do it even though my traveling companions usually just sigh at me.
My suitcase on the return trip is usually half full of spoils from those market visits. Most of the time I can't read the directions on the goods, so it's an adventure using the stuff. Fun! And a few times, I've brought back contraband without even knowing it...ie. Szechuan peppercorns.
What Do You Think Of Boiled Peanuts?
I'm from Taiwan and boiled peanuts were always part of the condiments and snacks for our family. I love them now, but as a kid I hated them. I've never tried them in the South..gotta add that to the list =)
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 61: The Acid Reflux Chest Tightness Diet
Mine also comes in waves, triggered by stress and other things. When it's really bad I rely on the PPIs. They help get things in check. When it's time to come off of of them I start with a very acid reflux friendly diet - total blandness =( I add things on one at a time to see if I can tolerate it. It's slow going but it's worked out okay. I'm currently back the point where half decaf coffee is tolerable. I used to be a mint person, but that had to go. I replaced them with licorice altoids and I feel like that that has helped with the digestion. Not eating after 8 is also a problem for me. I was honest with my GI and said that's not going to happen all the time, so she said if I do eat late to try and avoid carbs.
I have a tub of pork floss. Now what?
My favorite ways are
- white bread sandwich layered with mayonaise, a fried egg and for the adventurous, a slice of american cheese.
- in a rice twist - put sushi rice down in flat, rectangle on top of plastic wrap. put line of pork floss and add asian sweet radish pickles. can also add an egg friend and cut into strips. roll lit up. yummy and portable
I personally go for fish floss. Not so much for flavor but for the crispness of it.
Eating in Taipei
Eating out is affordable and good. Though I will say prices have gone up dramatically in the past few years. To give rough numbers, you can still get stuff for under 75 NT on the street that is good. But the price it costs you to eat a full meal of street goodies is creaping up more towards 200 NT. For places with actual walls, it's closer to 400 NT. The Tapei 101 basement is priced almost the same as nice mall food in the US (though I find it's much nicer and better). The nicer sit down restaurants cost a little less then they do in the US. Last year I attended a party at a posh downtown tepanyaki restaurant. With a private room, 5 courses, no alcohol the tab was about US$50/person before extras. Luckily it seems like you can still get a yummy boba drink for less than US$1 =)
Eating in Taipei
The dumplings reminded me of the restaurant Din Tai Fung. There is one in LA, but it's nothing compared to the ones in in Taipei. I think the pigs are happier in Taiwan...I know I am when I'm there.
Don't be afraid of the long line. They're really efficient. They won't even take you to your table until you've ordered first downstairs. By the time you sit down and take your coat off, your first dish is being put down.
Eating in Taipei
All great recommendations above. The fruit is amazing. For example the Haiwaiian pineapples they won't let you take off the islands are good, but it doesn't compare to what's available in Taiwan. Don't miss out on the wax apples, guava and lychee too.
A lot of the best street items and good place to start exploring is at the night markets. Taipei has a few popular ones that are easy enough to get to by MRT (subway) or taxi. My favorite is in Keelung (sp?) about 10 km north of Taipei. The standard tourist attraction at the night markets are the snake meat vendors. It's something that's fun to try, but there is plenty else to eat. Aside from what fuuchan listed above you'll also find variet of noodles, yummy things on sticks, bread baked in a tandori like oven and filled with meat, shaved ice with condiments, sticky rice things, toast coffins, everything and anything fried, etc...it goes on.
If you're up for it try a Taiwanese breakfast. Hot sweet or salty fresh soy milk, with an deep friend dough "oil stick" wrapped in a Taiwanese bread pocket to dip in your soy milk. Fresh soy milk is really different from the boxed stuff, and the oil stick is the savory answer to a donut. The excess of wrapping deep fried dough in bread is just fun to do =)
Look or smell around for the stinky tofu. It doesn't taste at all like what it smells like, but one has to be able to get past the smell.
A comment on the seafood. There is plenty to choose from, it just can get pricey. That's hard to rationalize when you can get an amazing meal on the street with some other meat like pork for like 50 NT.
Taiwan is still a cash society, so make sure to have plenty of cash if you want to try all these foods. Credit cards aren't that useful except for the pricier, sit down places.
Good luck!
Cooking with Kids: Scrambled Egg Smackdown with Tyler Florence
I make my scrambled eggs both ways. It depending on time constraints and what mood i'm in =)
But the best scrambled eggs I know of came from a cafe that used to make them with the milk frother on the espresso machine. Light, fluffy, creamy and according to the chef easy.
Red or white wine in bolognese?
Most of the recipes in both Italy and the US I've seen use white. I personally use a red, though mostly because I have it on hand more. I deglaze with the wine, reduce it down and then add the milk and cook it down again. I found the milk is a must and it works much better to do it separately from the wine. Not sure why? Anyone know?
And I agree wholeheartedly with simon, it's about the meat more than the tomatoes, bacon or anything else. As much as I love all cured pork products, I skip the pancetta and I probably only use one large can of tomatoes per ~2 lbs of meat and that's probably still a little heavy on the tomato.
Beef Noodle Soup / Niu Rou Mein
The key to my mom's version is a can of Szechuan hot bean sauce. We're Taiwanese and tend to like things extra spicy. The sauce gives the soup spice, complexity and saves the hassle of dealing with dried black beans and too many other spices.
Le Creuset: Is it worth it?
When I researched a few years ago for a lower cost alternative, Target carried a line of enameled cast iron, not Chefmate or Lodge, that had rated well. It starts with a T, sorry that's all I remember.
I did end up buying a LC. I waited for a sale and a coupon. I'm happy with my purchase. It gets a lot of use and still looks and feels like new. I also have a 6 QT All Clad that does similar duties to my LC, and I definately prefer the LC.
Eat for Eight Bucks: Pork Belly Sandwiches, Chinese-Style
I second the gua bao, a much better ratio of meat to bun and the dough has a tinge more sweetness- which works well with the salty filling.
Most Taiwanese places that sell these sandwiches give you an option of fatty meat, lean meat or sometimes a combo of the two. Pork belly without the skin and extra fat layers is actually on the lean option. I love Asia =)
Ming Tsai's New Knife
That is the knife I think it is too. It is a very distinctive look
Recipe Request: Awesome Cake Recipe
i just made my own wedding cake. it was a manageable feat and yummy. the cake was the white feather cake from the cake bible. it uses white chocolate in place of some of the fat. the white chocolate creates a nice mellow texture and taste that people can't quite place but like. I used a swiss buttercream to frost and fill. it was such a breeze to frost with and the frosting is neither too buttery or sweet. we then topped it with the blueberry topping(also cake bible) after cutting the slices. it made for a yummy slice and elegant appearance.
i've also made Tartine devils cake a few too many times =) it is my absolute favorite chocolate cake. a few hints: make it with plugra butter or another european butter. the cake can get dry esp if you make larger size tiers or cupcakes so that 2% extra butterfat helps. also use a lot of caramel on the layers.
good luck with it!
Shun or Global?
You can learn a bit more about the Global knives here: www.globalknifeset.com
Shun or Global?
I'm a Global user myself and wouldn't switch for all the Sake in Japan! I myself love the lightweight of the Global knives and the good balance they have. In my experience the Global knives hold an edge really well but I wouldn't use a sharpening steel on them only ceramic sharpening stones or waterstones.
Red or white wine in bolognese?
Orignal bolognese recipe used red wine, and adding in bacon
Croissant Recipe
It's not going to be easy but here is a homemade croissant recipe.
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
@betteirene - That recipe works great for spareribs as well. Last weekend I made a slightly modified version with pork neck bone. Pork neck bone is one of the cheapest cuts you can get, it has wonderful flavour and texture and lends itself very well to braising. It is a bit messy to eat, but it's absolutely worth it.
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
@bitchincamero -- my mouth literally filled with saliva -- guava-stuffed pork shoulder?! Man, that sounds good! But now I want pastelitos, dammit!
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
@betteirene - I'm in Miami, so there's guava everywhere. I use the canned guava shells because they're more reliable than the fresh and they caramelize nicely in the oven. Are you in NYC? When I lived there, I could usually find them at Key Food in the East Village and even some of the more Latin bodegas.
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
@Jerzee - I actually saw you post that recipe somewhere in the Talk section last fall/winter, and I made it then - it was freakin' awesome! It was a huge hit and froze really well, too. I definitely plan on making it again this season.
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
Wow, SqueezeBottle, what a great idea. Very cool recipe. I'll try it soon. Thanks for sharing.
I do what Simon says: The salt/sugar cure is a good thing. No matter which way I take it, even if I do a Jamaican thing or the sauerkraut thing, we always have roasted or fried apples with it.
bitchincamero, where do you shop? I haven't seen guava for sale, even at my local Filipino store, forever. Man, I wish I could find some.
Wanted: A non-BBQ recipe for Pork Shoulder!
pork and sauerkraut is what I would do with it. Its good.
I take a pork roast whatever I can find (4-8 pounds), season it and brown it. Stick aside
When I remove it then I cook the onions about 3 good sized ones.
Cook them down nice then add to this 1 cup of water or ale
2-3 tablespoons if apple sauce OR 1 quartered apple
3 cloves of garlic smashed
one rib of celery (I chop it in 4 pieces) You can add caraway seeds instead
crushed pepper flakes about 1 tablespoon (more if you like)
2 bags of cold sauerkraut
Mix this all up and then remove half the kraut mixture to a holding bowl
add the roast back in and cover with the other half
You can do this stovetop or oven.
Cover and simmer for about 3-4 hours or until the roast is tender and falling apart.
Or in the oven in the oven, in a covered roasting pan, oven temperature to 300º and roast for about 3 hours.
Low and slow is your friend.
Serve this with mashed potatoes.
This is great comfort food.
Croissant Recipe
@tenille10, Please let us know how they turn out. I still have pie crust moments, so I have to live vicariously through you.
Croissant Recipe
It's really not that hard, and most of the time involved is letting the dough sit in the fridge so the butter chills and the dough rests. What they usually don't tell you in the recipes is that if you need to let it rest longer, it's fine. They tell you thirty minutes or whatever, but if you have to run an errand you don't need to be speeding back to get the dough out in precisely 30 minutes.
If you want to try a similar dough, but a lot less finicky, pick up a copy of Baking with Julia and check out the Danish Pastry recipe. The result is actually very similar to a croissant dough, but it's a lot easier to work and there aren't as many steps where the dough needs to rest in between. It's a two-day process, but there's not much work on either day, and the first day is pretty effortless. You just have to plan it in advance for when you want it, because the dough rests overnight in the fridge..It's sweeter than a croissant, but not ridiculously sweet. Fine for a breakfast pastry. Anyway, that would be a good introduction to the folding method, and then when you're working the croissant dough, it will make more sense.
I think (but I'n not sure) that the recipes in that book that use the Danish Pastry dough are all for filled pastries, but there's really no reason you couldn't just roll them up into croissant shapes.
Oh, and the recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I found that it was a little dull that way.I think it's better with one stick of salted and one of unsalted.
Croissant Recipe
The technique description is lengthy so you understand how to fold and turn, but once you do it and know how to accomplish that's the key - the folding and turning creates all the layers of dough with butter inbetween.
If you make a large batch, you don't have to bake them all the same day.
Freeze the shaped croissants before baking on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag or container until you want to thaw and bake them fresh.
For sure use fresh yeast and unbleached flour.
Croissant Recipe
They're not difficult as much as time-consuming, but they are so worth it. They are light little things, but they have body to them, as well, and the taste is incredible. I've tried store-bought ones and restaurant ones, but I always detect a cheese-y note, like faint parmesan, instead of a fermented yeasty taste. And sometimes the store-bought ones don't crisp up when heated in the oven, and soggy croissants are not a joy no matter what they're filled with. We make our own once or twice a year when the craving gets too strong to stifle.
Puff pastry, on the other hand, is not something I would try to make again. The recipe, also from Julia, worked, but I didn't think it tasted way better than the frozen Pepperidge Farm sheets. It's nice to be able to say that I did it, though.
Croissant Recipe
I can't help on the recipe, as it's my husband who does the baking, but I can offer this little tidbit of advice: make SURE to bake them on a pan with edges. Butter, when melted and dripping onto the bottom of your oven, burns. Smokily. The smoke alarm will blare and your oven will never be the same. (although the croissants were good enough that I forgave him)
Croissant Recipe
I've just made croissants once, it is not to difficult as it may sound but it is time consuming.
I've used the recipe found on epicurious.com and they came out great.
Go ahead and make them, you won't regret it.
Croissant Recipe
Something' i've tried with varying success: (*Same recipe, different technique to avoid melting the butter)
Roll out the dough as thin as you can, but having it still pliable from the counter
Spread a layer of butter over all the dough
Fold it over itself several times. Quick;y roll out and store in refriedgerator.
Croissant Recipe
i've got a fat little dough boy, whose stomach i push and then he says, 'hee hee' and magically there is a plate of croissants!
i kid.
actually i use james beard's recipe from his book 'menus for entertaining':
funny aside tho...once i did try to make those stupid doughboy things and couldn't figure out how the hell to open up the package. so i took my can opener and proceeded to try to lop off the top of one end. suddenly, it blew like a shotgun with a loud noise to match. my boyfriend at the time came in, looked around, and told me to grab my purse b/c he was taking me out. ha ha ha. i even have a picture of the explosion's aftermath somewhere.
Croissant Recipe
Definitely looks very intimidating i'm going to give it try when i enough time to devote to the pastry...it's just i love them so much and i can't seem to find a shop where i live that does them any justice so thanks to everyone for contributing to my little dilemma.
Potbelly Sandwich Works: Big Sandwiches for a Small Price
I love this place and so sad that there are none in North Jersey where I have moved.....was in Philly the other day and planned a stop on the way home....got the tuna, no cheese, pickles - L&T and HOT PEPPERS.....also bought 2 jars of the peppers to bring home. A few weeks ago I had to eat with a co-worker at a Quizno's and made them toast the tuna with no cheese and they asked 3 times and even had the manager come to verify what I had requested. Sadly that wasn't even close to having a Potbelly sandwich. After I ate the other day, I regretted not getting the large - I contemplated ordering a 2nd regular but thought the staff might think I have an eating disorder - the only disorder is that I don't have a Potbelly near me!
Crazy Combinations
My mom made this legendary sandwich only once in my life, and I still think about it from time to time. I've just never assembled the ingredients to make it myself (don't know why..the list is rather scant): white bread, Kewpie mayonnaise, and a generous sprinkling of rousong (an Asian pork condiment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rousong).
Crazy Combinations
But I'd also love to wrap myself around anything on this page: http://bit.ly/aurwd
Crazy Combinations
Harriet M. Welsh was right: you can't beat a tomato sandwich.
Crazy Combinations
I'm one of those people who enjoys ranch on almost anything!!!!!! it's just one of those condiments that gets along with amost everyone (savoury I may add)
I'm not as crazy as some of you guys; so here's mine:
- cucumber + camembert sandwiches,
- sauerkraut perogies baked with chili and topped with cheddar
- plain mcchicken with their 'nugget mustard sauce'
- pizza sauce, green onion and canned shrimp baked with cheese on a honey-bun
@zerogirl: wow. thats.....interesting! do you make your own redcurrant jelly?
@FeedingFive: that burger sounds right up my hangover alley! I'll have to try that one iwth heavy heavy mayo
@carolow: PB + mayo sounds strange; but when I was young I would eat PB + cheesewhiz (when the rents werent' looking!) haha
Crazy Combinations
All I can say is--- why?
Even the biggest bender or herb withdrawl could not induce me to eat some of these combos.
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About tinat
Website: http://roadtoadulthood.blogspot.com
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Favorite foods: Noodles, wax apples, white peaches and watermelon, french fries, onion rings
Last bite on earth: Mom's spicy beef noodle soup
A few weeks ago I made David Chang's Bo Ssam. It was delicious and easy. It's a version of what @simon is describing above.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/bo-ssam