Hot Chocolate, Part 1
I've been experimenting lately with how to make the best possible cup of hot chocolate. When I was in Paris, I was blown away by a few cups I had of wonderfully rich, creamy (almost alcoholic) chocolate. I haven't yet been able to match those cups, but I've had a few interesting results.
The most important thing is the chocolate or...
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I've been experimenting lately with how to make the best possible cup of hot chocolate. When I was in Paris, I was blown away by a few cups I had of wonderfully rich, creamy (almost alcoholic) chocolate. I haven't yet been able to match those cups, but I've had a few interesting results.
The most important thing is the chocolate or...
Read More
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
On Tomato Sauce and Red Wine:
A lot of people put red wine in a tomato sauce for pasta after they have sauteed veggies and added the tomatoes. This is great, especially if there is meat in the sauce, but there is another way that is particularly good for a vegetarian tomato sauce for pasta.
After you saute your veggies (onion, celery, zucchini, etc.) in...
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A lot of people put red wine in a tomato sauce for pasta after they have sauteed veggies and added the tomatoes. This is great, especially if there is meat in the sauce, but there is another way that is particularly good for a vegetarian tomato sauce for pasta.
After you saute your veggies (onion, celery, zucchini, etc.) in...
Read More
candylac:
well i havnt posted about it, because i still dont know when it will go up....
i write thoughts, lyrics, and short stories. but mostly to myself as a kind of therapy
i write thoughts, lyrics, and short stories. but mostly to myself as a kind of therapy
Another weekend and another big meal I get to cook for my wife. Tonight it will be:
1) I am going to make a frisee salad with warm goat cheese, mustard vinagrett, and I am going to try and roast some tomatillos. I don't know if they will roast well or just turn to mush.
2) Mashed potatoes and celery root and sauteed cod or...
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1) I am going to make a frisee salad with warm goat cheese, mustard vinagrett, and I am going to try and roast some tomatillos. I don't know if they will roast well or just turn to mush.
2) Mashed potatoes and celery root and sauteed cod or...
Read More
candylac:
thanks. i know about the school thing, but attending a school in the US costs money.....and living in LA i would have to make money not spend it 
liante:
I don't think I ever have tried valerian. I have a deep distrust of herbal supplements, though, which is faintly ironic considering the amount of time I spent studying and working with herbs a few years back.
My distrust of supplements is based on two reasons. One, since I haven't handled those herbs myself, I've got no way of knowing exactly what's in them; the FDA doesn't regulate supplements nearly as closely as it does "real" drugs, so there's little or no regulatory oversight. Two, most herbal supplement companies are pretty fly-by-night. If something disastrous happened as a result of my using the product, my survivors would have nobody worthwhile to sue. Since I'm cheap and buy generic sleeping pills, I'm content in the knowledge that my representatives will get to stick the bill on Wal-Mart or some other huge chain.
My distrust of supplements is based on two reasons. One, since I haven't handled those herbs myself, I've got no way of knowing exactly what's in them; the FDA doesn't regulate supplements nearly as closely as it does "real" drugs, so there's little or no regulatory oversight. Two, most herbal supplement companies are pretty fly-by-night. If something disastrous happened as a result of my using the product, my survivors would have nobody worthwhile to sue. Since I'm cheap and buy generic sleeping pills, I'm content in the knowledge that my representatives will get to stick the bill on Wal-Mart or some other huge chain.
Of course, I'm only keeping a record of the fancier meals I make - I'm certainly not including all the crap that I eat.
Anyway, last night I made what is sometimes called a tian or nowadays more likely to appear on a menu as "Iman (or Imam) Byaldi". It is a dish that could be French, Greek, or Turkish (though I think I've read...
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Anyway, last night I made what is sometimes called a tian or nowadays more likely to appear on a menu as "Iman (or Imam) Byaldi". It is a dish that could be French, Greek, or Turkish (though I think I've read...
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lanya:
sounds delicious. 
-lan
-lan
Lately I've been into serving meals in an Italian style - each dish being a separate course, so no meat AND veggies. Just one or the other. Tonight I made, with mixed success:
First: Grilled goat cheese toasts, dripping with olive oil. Accompanied by a carrot and chive salad (which was better than the toasts)
Second: Swiss Chard risotto (and the chard wasn't entirely done,...
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First: Grilled goat cheese toasts, dripping with olive oil. Accompanied by a carrot and chive salad (which was better than the toasts)
Second: Swiss Chard risotto (and the chard wasn't entirely done,...
Read More
liante:
The recipe I've been using is a lot like the first link you posted. My main difficulty so far has been getting the sugar adequately caramelized -- it's coming out too soft and sticky even after cooling. I'm probably going to resort to a hard toffee coating instead, because I know I can do that.
A good recipe for coconut curry if anyone cares:
INGREDIENTS (not very exact)
1 onion or 3 shallots
2 garlic cloves
Any other aromatic vegetables such as carrots and celery
1-2 tablespoons red curry paste (I'd recommend Thai Kitchen or Mae Ploy), depending on level of spice/flavor you want
1 can coconut milk
1/2-3/4 pound either beef, pork, chicken shrimp, firm fish fillet, or potatoes...
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INGREDIENTS (not very exact)
1 onion or 3 shallots
2 garlic cloves
Any other aromatic vegetables such as carrots and celery
1-2 tablespoons red curry paste (I'd recommend Thai Kitchen or Mae Ploy), depending on level of spice/flavor you want
1 can coconut milk
1/2-3/4 pound either beef, pork, chicken shrimp, firm fish fillet, or potatoes...
Read More
I keep meaning to keep a record of the things I cook so I can go back and repeat good dishes. Since I never write anything down, I always forget what I did. So, dinner last night:
First course: Salad with romaine hearts, red wine vinagrette, walnuts roasted in honey, and grilled feta cheese.
Second course: Carrots braised in red wine with leeks, wrapped in...
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First course: Salad with romaine hearts, red wine vinagrette, walnuts roasted in honey, and grilled feta cheese.
Second course: Carrots braised in red wine with leeks, wrapped in...
Read More
strix:
i'm very jealous of that meal.. here i am stuck eating watery pasta dorm food!! 
Usually I put a dash of cinnamon in my cocoa, on the rare occasions that I make my own.
As for train delays in the UK... thanks but no thanks. I've heard enough to be traumatized away from experiencing those firsthand.