What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[rewebster]

The perfect edible banana---

Bananas that still have the 'all yellow' skin taste bitter and unripe to me, like most of the peaches, nectarines, and some other fruits at the market (sometimes its unavoidable to HAVE to buy them). I've talked to some people who have never had a fully tree ripened peach or nectarine, and who think those fruits are supposed to be slightly crunchy. A tree ripened peach or nectarine's flesh will turn to a soft semi-translucent color when left to ripen on the tree (and that only takes one extra day on the tree), not the whitish hard crunchy texture that markets have to buy to insure there is no bruising (damage) during the picking and shipping process. The banana's (imported 'normal' bananas) full sweetness doesn't happen until there's spotting on the skin.

 

[Evo]

That's overripe to me. I like them when they just start to get a few freckles, this one's skin is puckering and the stem is turning black. This would be ok to mash up into banana bread, but too soft and sticky to eat plain. That's my taste.

When my ex-husband and I moved to Georgia, he'd never eaten a tree ripened peach before. I found a "pick your own" orchard and the first one he bit into was so incredible, there was no way to keep the juice from spilling down your chin they were so juicy, he picked 30 pounds of them before I could get him to stop.

 

[rewebster]

no--it wasn't 'soft and slimy' ---but it did only have 'some freckles' two days ago.

After someone has 'tasted' a fully ripened peach or nectarine, its almost torture to eat one of the 'normal' market ones.

 

[turbo]

When I was consulting for a paper mill in Cedar Springs GA, the nearest town with hotels and restaurants was Dothan, AL, and there just happened to be peach orchards on my commute. I LOVED peach season! I have a peach tree and two apricot trees (along with other fruit trees) on my front lawn that I planted from bare-root seedlings a couple of years back. I sure hope they grow up to be productive like some of my apple trees.

 

[rewebster]

I have an early white cling-free, and I may plant a late yellow cling-free this year. If I do, I'll have to do some landscape planning (smaller city lot--more trimming of that shade/apple).

 

[scorpa]

I just bought my very first BBQ! I am excited to try it out.

 

[Moonbear]

That's overripe to me. I like them when they just start to get a few freckles, this one's skin is puckering and the stem is turning black. This would be ok to mash up into banana bread, but too soft and sticky to eat plain. That's my taste.

Good, you're invited to have bananas with me, and banana bread too. I completely agree that the one pictured is overripe and ready to make into bread.

 

[Evo]

WooHoo! I passed the banana test!

Mmmmm, banana bread.

OK, WHO MOVED THE SMILIES?

 

[rewebster]

hmmmmm---


----you can't tell a banana by its cover

 

[Evo]

hmmmmm---


----you can't tell a banana by its cover

You can when they start puckering up.

 

[rewebster]

pucker?


it may have had a few more age spots than you like, but it's not puckered up

--give it three more days, THEN it will be pucked up

 

[rewebster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_vFd16w70E&feature=related






moral of the story: keep your banana in a dark spot / out of the light

 

[turbo]

moral of the story: keep your banana in a dark spot / out of the light

Watch out what kind of dark spot you choose, though. Bananas give off ethylene gas while ripening, and the gas accelerates ripening if allowed to concentrate. If you close up your bananas in a paper bag, they will ripen a lot faster than if you left them in a bowl on the kitchen counter. If you buy a bunch of under-ripe bananas, it would be a good idea to put a few in a paper bag to ripen quickly, while the rest stay in a well-ventilated area to ripen slowly.

 

[Evo]

Also, once your banana gets to the preferred ripeness, you can significantly slow further ripening by placing it in the refrigerator. This may turn the skin dark, but the banana inside will remain at the same stage of ripeness for several days.

I was curious about something and looked at the Chiquita Banana site. I knew that bananas grew from rhizomes, but I did not know that they are classfied as a perennial herb. And the banana fruit is technically a berry.

http://www.chiquita.com/Products/Bananas.aspx

 

[Math Is Hard]

I like my bananas almost green with not even a hint of a freckle.

 

[rewebster]

Also, once your banana gets to the preferred ripeness, you can significantly slow further ripening by placing it in the refrigerator. This may turn the skin dark, but the banana inside will remain at the same stage of ripeness for several days.



http://www.chiquita.com/Products/Bananas.aspx

so, you don't disagree with that negative then, no?

 

[Evo]

so, you don't disagree with that negative then, no?

No, the skin will darken, but remain smooth. I'm sorry rew, your banana had seen better days.

 

[rewebster]

I like my bananas almost green with not even a hint of a freckle.

do you eat the leaves and the stem, too?

 

[rewebster]

No, the skin will darken, but remain smooth. I'm sorry rew, your banana had seen better days.

--yeah-I agree its going down-nuts and kneeding and-put it in the oven--

 

[Math Is Hard]

do you eat the leaves and the stem, too?

MmmmmMMMmmmm.. :!)

 

[rewebster]

I'm sorry rew, your banana had seen better days.

Evo----I've been thinking about this for a while now...


and...I don't think it's fair...

I think you're stereotyping my banana

 

[Moonbear]

Evo----I've been thinking about this for a while now...


and...I don't think it's fair...

I think you're stereotyping my banana

Yep, it's age discrimination.

 

[rewebster]

Yep, it's age discrimination.

you crack me up sometimes


---but, I'm not going to start eating the stem and leaves

 

[Andre]

So, I'm heading off for France a few days to the Alsace helping my brother in law to feed some 100 guests the traditional dish "Tarte Flambé" (pronounced tarrth flahmbay). A sort of small pizza although the bottom is much thinner.

First spread a sause of crême fraiche (sour creme) with black pepper and local herbs on the bottom, then cover with thin onion rings and very small diced bacon and top it with cheese crumbs also of a local cheese type.

Then there should be a traditional brick stove with a wood fire in the back, put in the tartes in front and close the door for about 2-3 minutes, then turn the tortes 180 degrees for another minute to get them evenly burned (flambé). A lot of work but the result is exceptionellement. Très bien.

 

[turbo]

Sounds tasty, Andre!

 

[lisab]

So, I'm heading off for France a few days to the Alsace helping my brother in law to feed some 100 guests the traditional dish "Tarte Flambé" (pronounced tarrth flahmbay). A sort of small pizza although the bottom is much thinner.

First spread a sause of crême fraiche (sour creme) with black pepper and local herbs on the bottom, then cover with thin onion rings and very small diced bacon and top it with cheese crumbs also of a local cheese type.

Then there should be a traditional brick stove with a wood fire in the back, put in the tartes in front and close the door for about 2-3 minutes, then turn the tortes 180 degrees for another minute to get them evenly burned (flambé). A lot of work but the result is exceptionellement. Très bien.

Mmmm! Anything with bacon gets my approval. Bon appetite, Andre!

 

[turbo]

lisab, it you want a real treat, make these very simple poppers:

Slice jalapeno chilies in half lengthwise. Leave seeds and placenta in the chilies for nice heat - remove for "sensitive" types. Mix lots of crumbled crispy bacon into cream cheese with some black pepper and stuff the chilies with the mix. Top with shredded Monterey Jack and broil or roast on a grill until the cheese is melted and getting brown.

You can fancy these up with other fillings, etc, but these basic poppers seem to disappear as soon as I pull them off the grill. I cook them on an aluminum pizza pan lined with foil for easy clean-up.

 

[Evo]

So, I'm heading off for France a few days to the Alsace helping my brother in law to feed some 100 guests the traditional dish "Tarte Flambé" (pronounced tarrth flahmbay). A sort of small pizza although the bottom is much thinner.

Sounds delicious Andre! Growing up I had dolls from the different parts of France and I loved the little Alsatian one in her costume.

 

[Andre]

Okay all, thanks for the attention. I'm just finished helping to make about 170 Tartes Flambé within one hour and 15 minutes. It was a remarkable experience. Well tomorrow some sigh seeing foto safari to the pittoresque medieval cities Rouffach and Colmar along the wine route. Gewurztraminer is the top grape, closely followed by pinot gris, keeping eyes open for the local costumes, but I'm afraid that has vanished from the day to day scenery.

 

[Moonbear]

I love Alsatian wines (I have a couple bottles left of a Pinot Gris from Alsace, and it is one of my favorite wines)! And the flaming pizzas sound good too.

 

[ZapperZ]

Trip to Malaysia - Pt. 1

During my recent trip to the south of Malaysia about a month ago, food was, of course, a major part of the trip. Here are some pictures I took of the stuff I had shoved into my mouth.

This is dragon fruit. It appears that it is the latest craze over there, and it is being grown all over the place, even in people's backyards!

Various types of fish being grilled on top of banana leaves.

The next few pictures are the dishes I was served during a "feast" at this outdoor seafood restaurant. I recognized about 90% of what I was eating. Didn't find anything that wasn't delicious.

It was very hot and humid there, all year long. So what better way to cool off than a great big serving of shaved ice, Malaysian style. Not only did it come with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but it also had red beans, corn, pineapples, etc... served with several syrups and chocolate sauce. YUM!

[cont...]

 

[ZapperZ]

Trip to Malaysia - Pt. 2

[...cont]

However, the BEST type of food of all (at least for me), is the home-delivered satay. While you can certainly get satay at many restaurants and open-air vendors, this, to me, is the best way to get them. This guy does this as his part-time job in the evening. You call him a few days before you want him to come over to your place, and he prepares everything and rides his motorbike to cook you the satay. He has everything, including the charcoal grill. So right in your front yard, he'll grill the satay (you can order beef, chicken, or even "tripe") right there, and he also has the peanut sauce and other condiments that goes with the satay. He appears to be the favorites of a lot of people since he's pretty busy most nights. Anyway, the next few pictures are of him doing this thing while we all wait salivating.

BTW, if you have never had Malaysian satay before, as opposed to Thai satay, you are missing quite a bit. Malaysian satay is more flavorful since it used more spices in both the satay marinade and in the peanut sauce.

These last set of pictures are from my last day there, and I visited a farmer's market (something I ALWAYS try to do whenever I go some place new if they have one). As usual, there are a lot of food items, both prepared and for cooking.

Guess what these are!

The infamous durian, the king of fruit.

Zz.

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, Zz, now my turkey sandwich from lunch doesn't seem very satisfying anymore. Two questions...in the third farmer's market photo, what are the things next to the bananas that look like giant, fuzzy strawberries? And, does anyone other than tourists on a dare really eat durian? I have no idea what is in those bins that you said to guess...from all I can see there, it could be grass clippings.

 

[ZapperZ]

Wow, Zz, now my turkey sandwich from lunch doesn't seem very satisfying anymore. Two questions...in the third farmer's market photo, what are the things next to the bananas that look like giant, fuzzy strawberries? And, does anyone other than tourists on a dare really eat durian? I have no idea what is in those bins that you said to guess...from all I can see there, it could be grass clippings.

The "fuzzy" fruit is rambutan. "Rambut" is a malay word for "hair". So it is a "hairy" fruit. When you peel it, the flesh on the inside is white and rather sweet.

I haven't seen any tourists that have eaten a durian on the fly. I think I know a few that may have planned on doing that when they arrived, but most tend to shy away from it.

Those things in the bins are various types and sizes of dried fish. :) And no, strangely enough, they don't smell that strong.

BTW, in the 2nd picture of the Farmer's Market, the root vegetables on the right (the longish looking ones) are actual, real tapioca. It is a starchy root, and has nothing to do with the pearly, round ones that we are so familiar with here.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

I've tagged the food and recipe threads, so now you can just select "food" or "recipe" to find the food threads. Try it out!

 

[Evo]

I shopped at the overpriced grocery store last night and they had these incredible Alaskan King crab legs. This one measures 24 inches long. I *love* Alaskan King Crab legs, they taste better than any other crab abd I've had quite a few.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3431/kingcrablegex8.jpg

 

[~christina~]

I shopped at the overpriced grocery store last night and they had these incredible Alaskan King crab legs. This one measures 24 inches long. I *love* Alaskan King Crab legs, they taste better than any other crab abd I've had quite a few.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3431/kingcrablegex8.jpg

[/URL]

I hate to say it but I buy these from Costco as well. Very expensive but good most of the time. Sometimes they're a bit watery tasting, but other times good. Claws are the best and the most expensive. Other crabs that are good are, Dungeness crab. I can't seem to eat blue crab for some reason. Technically I'm allergic to crab in general but I can eat a bit before I feel the effects of crab. With blue crab I feel the effects immediately and my throat gets itchy. (must be some chemical in the crab that I'm reacting to)
http://www.sunrisefoods.com/store/media/seafood/king-crab-claws

 

[GeorginaS]

I shopped at the overpriced grocery store last night and they had these incredible Alaskan King crab legs. This one measures 24 inches long. I *love* Alaskan King Crab legs, they taste better than any other crab abd I've had quite a few.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3431/kingcrablegex8.jpg

[/URL]

Alaskan King Crab is the very best. Close second is Canadian Snow Crab, but Alaskan King? I think that may well be my favourite food thing on the planet.

That leg is huge, Evo!

 

[~christina~]

Alaskan King Crab is the very best. Close second is Canadian Snow Crab, but Alaskan King? I think that may well be my favourite food thing on the planet.

snow crab legs are very thin though. (not sure how you could go back to snow crabs after trying king crab. I think dungeness crab is second to the king.

 

[Moonbear]

I shopped at the overpriced grocery store last night and they had these incredible Alaskan King crab legs. This one measures 24 inches long. I *love* Alaskan King Crab legs, they taste better than any other crab abd I've had quite a few.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/3431/kingcrablegex8.jpg

[/URL]

Must be the season for them. I got some of them last Friday. YUMMY!

 

[turbo]

Mmm! Seafood. My wife baked some breaded fresh haddock Monday evening, and I just cleaned up the left-overs. I microwaved the fish, mixed up a "tartar sauce" using Hellman's mayo and my home-made hot salsa (one of the tomato-based ones), and made a sandwich on seeded Jewish Rye. That was a great lunch.

It was a hard choice because there is some great chicken breast in the refrigerator, too. We have greatly simplified the backed chicken breast recipe, and found that simpler is indeed better with such a mild-flavored meat. All you need is a bag of Roland Panko bread crumbs, cayenne, Javin Brand Indian-style curry powder, and some freshly-ground black pepper. Put some of the bread crumbs in a plate and mix in curry, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Beat an egg and roll the chicken in the egg, then roll the chicken in the crumbs and seasonings to coat the meat. Bake in a greased pan in an oven preheated to about 350-375 (depending on the thickness of the meat and whether the meat has bones). We had that for supper last night with baked potatoes and a tossed salad. It was VERY good. Panko crumbs are very good for frying, too - the breading comes out lighter and less greasy than breading made from regular bread crumbs.

 

[turbo]

For those that like tortilla chips, please do yourselves a favor and try Miguel's Tortilla Dippers. They are excellent! You'll never buy Doritos again. You might also want to try Famers brand Beer Mustard and their Horseradish. They are made by a Detroit-based company from the very simplest recipes, with no preservatives, emulsifiers, etc, etc. VERY good eats.

 

[turbo]

Supper tonight was pasta with garlic-scape pesto (scapes, walnuts, olive oil, grated Romano cheese, salt and fresh-ground black pepper) mixed with chunks of freshly-roasted curried chicken. Mmmm! The scapes from the German garlic are like onion-tops with a mild but rich garlic flavor, and the walnuts and cheese gave the pesto a nice earthy flavor. I'll bet garlic-lovers would give $30-40 a plate for a meal like that. Heavenly!

I'd have to charge people more if I was in the food business, because I used up all my German garlic scapes tonight, and will have only the smaller Russian garlic scapes to use to make the next batch. This gourmet ingredient is rare, low-volume and highly seasonal. There is still enough pesto left to make a couple more batches of pasta, and we're thinking about making more with grilled spicy shrimp instead of curried chicken.

 

[turbo]

It's good cold, too! What will I do until next June rolls around?

 

[Evo]

Supper tonight was pasta with garlic-scape pesto (scapes, walnuts, olive oil, grated Romano cheese, salt and fresh-ground black pepper) mixed with chunks of freshly-roasted curried chicken.

That's sounds wonderful! I really miss my wild onions, they were kind of like shallots in flavor, with a hint of garlic. Wonderful sauteed in a bit of olive oil and then tossed with couscous.

Sunday I made a pot of chicken soup. I have a wonderful 16 quart heavy stainless steel pot with an incased aluminum core in the base. I browned a cut up chicken, removed it, then "wilted" some finely sliced oinions, carrots and celery, threw the chicken back in and covered with chicken bouillion (I like my chicken soup really chickeny). I then threw in 1 pound of dried garbanzos and let it cook for a couple of hours, until the chicken was falling off the bone and the garbanzos were tender. After it cooled, I refrigerated it overnight so I could easily remove all of the fat, brought it to a boil, threw in one cup of instant barely and a pinch of dill. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then ladled into bowls and ground some white, pink and green pepper over it. The Evo Child is eating some now. It's yummy, the first time I've made it this way, this is one I need to remember.

 

[turbo]

As a kid with a French-Canadian background, I ate a LOT of stuff that my mother made with chives, shallots, etc. We used to grow lots of these "green onion" tops and salt them down to use over the winter. They weren't as good as the fresh stuff by a long shot, but when we were in the depths of winter, and wanted them for their flavors in potato/tomato/rice soup and other cheap meals, salted tops were great.

The soup sounds nice, though I have to use home-made chicken stock because boullion or commercial chicken stock would kill me before my wife could get me to the ER. Normally, our poultry stocks are made from chicken or turkey carcasses with sheared bones and skins, and we skim off the fats after the stock has cooled. The stock can be used for any number of soups, and if you think that the fats are discarded, you don't know me.

 

[Maverick27]

Hi,

Does anyone know how to make those crunchy thick Kettle chips ?

I can never get my home-made chips to taste & feel anything like the ready-made ones ?!

I'm pretty sure there's one crucial (secret) process in the recipe to make these snacks !

Thanks - Mave

 

[turbo]

Hi,

Does anyone know how to make those crunchy thick Kettle chips ?

I can never get my home-made chips to taste & feel anything like the ready-made ones ?!

I'm pretty sure there's one crucial (secret) process in the recipe to make these snacks !

Thanks - Mave

I've never made them, but I have found that the secret to deep-frying something and having it come out crunchy is to have really hot fat that sears the food quickly and reduces the amount of grease that the food can absorb. Lard is far superior to shortening or vegetable oils for just this reason. It has a very high smoke point, and with less fat absorption, it's probably a lot healthier than Crisco for deep-frying.

 

[turbo]

Rainy day today, so my wife and I did some cooking. My neighbor let me pick all his garlic scapes, so this morning I cut them up while my wife chopped and blended them in the food processor with walnuts, cold-pressed olive oil, shredded Romano cheese, salt and black pepper. My sister-in-law and the neighbor that gave me the scapes do not eat cheese, so we made a batch of pesto for them with no cheese. We also made garlic-scape butter by processing softened butter with scapes, Romano, ground black pepper, and paprika. Mmm! that is wonderful on rye toast! We had made garlic butter with cloves before, but the scapes add something special. My wife and her sister both avoid eating too much dairy, so we made up another batch using soy margarine instead of butter.

We brined a chicken last night, and I'm roasting that right now, with fresh basil leaves tucked under the skin - smells great! In another 45 minutes, I'm going to put a potato in the oven, too. Mmm! Baked potato with garlic-scape butter...

 

[Moonbear]

I've never made them, but I have found that the secret to deep-frying something and having it come out crunchy is to have really hot fat that sears the food quickly and reduces the amount of grease that the food can absorb. Lard is far superior to shortening or vegetable oils for just this reason. It has a very high smoke point, and with less fat absorption, it's probably a lot healthier than Crisco for deep-frying.

I've had some success using regular vegetable oil. Not quite as crispy, but still crispy enough. Part of the trick I figured out was to slice the potato thin, and then pat it between paper towels to take off all the extra moisture before frying. If you don't do that, I think you somehow end up sealing in the moisture, which makes them soggy. And, of course, quickly drain on paper when you take them out of the oil too.