Return to Recent Mail 2001-2

Mary wrote 12/31/00:
     I would like to have a recipe for the "elimination diet." It is a recipe for cabbage, potatoes and other ingredients. My mom used to have it but now she can't find it. Thanks.

William replied 12/22/00:
     Dear Larry, Thank you for your information regarding the souffléed potatoes recipe. I have not yet had the time to test this process but from what I have heard from various people this is it! Many thanks. 
     We have a small cowboy style steakhouse in Thailand. We plan to open a restaurant in Bangkok next year when the economy bottoms out and starts its recovery. 
     Though we are in Thailand, when you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you are in Texas. We have covered wagons with tables in them and the theme is real old west, enjoyed by young and older alike.
     I am preparing for the new restaurant by looking for unique appetizers and food preparation processes. Our steaks we serve with potato and vegetable, so I am looking for unique ways of presenting this to the customers.
     Again, I appreciate your help and if you send me your address I will send you a postcard of our restaurant. Sincerely, Bill Viscome.

Nina wrote 12/15/00:
     We recently managed to boil our old metal teakettle dry so the spout fell off.  For a replacement, we tried Sur La Table first and found just what we wanted. This is a Joyce Chen teakettle, an admirable creation. 
     For description see All Shopping, Kitchen Tools.

Kjinx2 wrote 12/13/00:
      I am looking for a recipe that is uniquely Greek. It can't be too expensive or complex. I am doing it for a class report. If you have something please send it. Thank you.

We replied 12/14/00:
     As it happens, I think I have what you are looking for already on the site. This would be Greek Salad.
     From the home page www.specialflavors.com, click on Our Recipe Collection, then salads, then Greek.
     Recipe I is authentic, from Lulu Polyzois.
     Recipe II is my adapted version. You might want to include a mention of the Peloponnesus treatment of the feta cheese.
     If you want to know more about authentic Greek cooking, I recommend The Food of Greece by Vilma Chantiles (see Bookstore).
     There are other Greek recipes on the site. If you wish me to point them out, I can do so. They are scattered here and there, not too easy to find as such.
     Good luck. Let me know how it turns out.

Mix: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup
     Microwave for 3-5 minutes (until bubbly white)
Add: 1 cup peanuts
     Microwave for 3-5 minutes (until light brown)
Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon butter
     Microwave 1-2 minutes (until light brown again)
Add: 1 teaspoon baking soda
     Stir in quickly, it should bubble up. Then pour and spread thinly on a greased cookie sheet. 
     YUM! YUM!

Cream together: 1 stick butter (softened), 8 oz. cream cheese
Stir in: 2 teaspoons vanilla
Add: 1 pound powdered sugar
     Mix Well.
Add 1 cup walnuts (optional, but very good).

Nina wrote 12/8/00:
     Here is a recipe for a rich holiday dessert, my family's favorite. When I was a bride we lived in a subdivision where our next-door neighbors belonged to the Mormon Church. The consumption of alcohol was forbidden. 
     Mary Lou was planning to serve this dessert at a party and made me the following deal. If I would give her two tablespoons of bourbon and two tablespoons of sherry, she would give me the recipe. What a deal! Here it is.
           click here for recipe. 

Sarelle wrote 11/29/00:
     I am trying to locate a gift for my hardworking daughter and her busy family. She has requested durable plastic dishware that can go in the dishwasher. I remember using melamine dishes and serving pieces all during my children's childhood and youth. They were practically indestructible, but they did fade in the dishwasher. Have there been advances made in the last 30 or 40 years? Do you know where I can get these items?
     Please answer ASAP because I would like to give them to my daughter for Christmas.

We replied 11/29/00:
     Hello Sarelle. You are in luck because I just happen to remember that Vermont Country Store brought back melamine dishware a few months back. It is not in the current holiday catalog, or online catalog. Fortunately, I still have the spring/summer 2000 catalog, and there it is.
     I called their number: 1-802-362-8440. They do still have it, although perhaps not all items, and the woman did not seem familiar with it. However, she expressed a willingness for you to call and work out an order over the phone.
     To help, here is some info. from the spring/summer catalog: No.313215=16 piece set $49.95. Colors are ocean blue, white, or emerald green. These are "dishwasher safe." It does not say whether the dishwashing problem that you mention has been improved.
     I hope that this is enough. I'll post your question on the site, in case someone has more information.
Good luck.

- Larry Luce

CODEF20 wrote 11/19/00:
     Hi,  have you heard of a dish called pallsheo? It's like a lasagna with many cheeses. Thanks for your help.
We replied 11/20/00:
     We have looked in various books: Waverly Root for Italian, then Greek, Middle East, Turkish. These produced nothing. We have asked a few people, but no one has heard of pallsheo.
     Do you have any clue as to nationality? If so, let us know.

CODEF20 replied 11/21/00:
     A friend said it's Greek. She got the name from a Greek restaurant. She may have misspelled it. Thanks for your help.
We replied 11/29/00:
     We have formed an opinion that pallsheo is really pastitsio. The names sound similar, and Frossene remembers that her mother, Nacia, referred to pastitsio as the Greek lasagna. 
     Nacia should know. Lulu Polyzois, her mother, was born and lived in Greece until she was sixteen, when she came to this country. Her daughter Nacia was born about six years later. When Frossene was growing up, her mother "cooked Greek," using dishes learned from her mother. The Greek Salad I in our recipe collection is Nacia's salad, learned from her mother.
     Our authority on Greek cooking is The Food of Greece by Vilma Chantiles, and she does have a recipe for pastitsio. It sounds much like what you describe. This is a rich production with layers of macaroni interspersed with meat sauce, bechamel sauce, and mizithra and kefalotyri cheeses (or hard ricotta and Romano). A large number of eggs are used.
     The book is available from Amazon, and at a low price too, also Powells. (See Bookstore)
     You will find other versions of pastitsio here and there, but most seem to be pale reflections of Chantiles' authentic version.
     I hope that this is helpful. Taste these cheeses before you add too much. Greek cheeses can be extremely salty to our taste.

CODEF20 replied 11/30/00 Nov. 30:
    Thank you a lot. You are right. I have found other recipes when I found the right name for the dish.
    Thank you so much for all your help. Of all the sites I e-mailed, you and
another one are all that replied. Thanks a lot. James 

Suzanne wrote 11/10/00:
     I have a recipe for the best potato dish around. It is best served at Easter, (or at least my mother always did), but I will be serving it at Thanksgiving dinner.

6 large potatoes; 2 cups sour cream; 10 oz. sharp cheese, grated; 1 bunch scallions; 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon salt.
     Cook potatoes until still firm. Cool, peel, and grate.
     In separate bowl, add sour cream, cheese, onions, milk, salt and some pepper.
     Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes.

I hope you love it as much as I do. It's definitely not fat free, but it is so good!

Sandra wrote 11/9/00
     Help, I am trying to find a recipe for a margarita cheesecake. I saw the recipe in a magazine and now I can not find it.
     Thanks for your help.

Tracy Grant replied Sep 16, 2000
The answer is included in Microwave Cooking for One but for expedience, here it is:
     TO HARD COOK AN EGG: Butter a custard cup. Break egg into cup. Puncture egg yolk with fork, then sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of water (The water is important, and so is puncturing the yolk). Cover cup with a glass lid from any other cookware you have. Cook 30 seconds at 100% power. Turn cup halfway around. Cook 25 seconds at 100% power until egg is hard cooked. (If you have an auto-rotating oven, skip the turn).
     These cooking times are for a 700-watt oven. If you have a higher or lower wattage oven, you will need to experiment with the times, or use the conversion chart at our site.

Special Flavors comment Sep 19, 2000
     We put this into our test kitchen. This kitchen has a standard 700 watt oven, and rotating turntable. I took a large egg cold from the refrigerator, and followed the above instructions (I thought). Later I realized that I didn’t put any cover on the cup. After about 45 seconds, there was a gentle explosion. A few little pieces of egg shrapnel flew out. The egg did seem to get cooked, or nearly so.
     I tried it again with a cold egg, but this time using a glass lid. There was a little poof after 50 seconds, but the egg stayed intact, and no pieces flew up to the lid.
     The result seemed fine to me, but I’m wondering whether the egg should be placed in warm water five minutes before nuking.
     (No, Tracy advises. The recipe is for an egg straight from the refrigerator. Time might have to be adjusted for the individual microwave, even though 700 watts.) 

What about the microwave? Busy cooks can save a lot of time using the microwave to cook complete meals! Please visit my site at http://www.microwavecookingforone.com

My mother spent ten years developing and kitchen testing all the recipes, and I include quite a few at the site. She believed we were becoming a society of single-family households, and households always on the run, and I believe her insights very timely.

Tracy, August 30, 2000

A.  For me, this is one of the best reasons to have a microwave. Wrap the ear in saran wrap, cook on high. I usually cook 2 ears for 8 minutes but I know it can be done in less time.

See the Spanish Cooking section, August 2, 00, for a few  favorites sent in by a viewer well versed in the world of Spanish cooking. 

Q. Now that we have found a source for the rare black walnuts (see Shop for Food, Web Shopping, Rodger’s Walnuts) what do you do with them?

I am nostalgic about these because in Maryland decades ago black walnut vanilla ice cream was thought the best ever, whenever you could get the black walnuts. But I find that other people do not have the same feeling. Some find them rather strong and strange. Even for myself, having not had them all these years, I am not quite sure what to do with them. They do seem to make a fine addition to raspberries and cream.
We wrote Rodger’s Walnuts for suggestions and received the following reply from Dana Rodgers. .  

Larry, July 27, 00 

A. Black walnuts are outstanding in banana nut bread or ice cream.
They are also good in a black walnut candy much like peanut brittle.
They may be used in cookies and in frostings on cakes.
They can go into pastas.
Almost anywhere you would use nuts they are good. Their flavor is very prominent, but good.
Thank you for your interest. 

Dana Rodgers, July 28, 00

Hallo Larry!
Ask most Americans what they think of when they hear the word "Germany" and they’ll reply, "Munich, Octoberfest, wursts!" Well, I have to agree, NOTHING says "Germany" like wurst! If you haven’t been lucky enough to visit Germany and experience REAL German wurst firsthand, come with me and I’ll take you on a tasting trip that will make you want to call your travel agent.

We’ll start by purchasing an assortment of wursts in a Sausage Sampler by either Schaller & Weber or Siegi. These wursts are made with old-world recipes and provide our customers with the authentic German wursts they dream of.

Next, we need some German mustard - what is wurst without the addition of mustard? You can make your selection from our 21 varieties of genuine German mustards…everything from sweet to heat!

Of course we’ll need to buy some pickles (do you like yours crispy, garlicky or hot?),
and a box of Knoll Bratkartoffeln with Onions (made with real German potatoes!),
and a delicious loaf of Bauernbrot that is made with an authentic German recipe and specially baked for our customers each week.

Now we’ll prepare our treat…cook the wurst, cut the bread, fry the potatoes and put the finished product on our plate. Finally it's time to sit down to eat. But wait! Before you eat, STOP, close your eyes and SMELL! There! Do you feel it? Your senses are taking you on a trip to Germany…you’re in Munich…at a small Gasthaus restaurant around the corner from the Marienplatz...and your wonderful German food is waiting for you!

I hope you will find this information helpful.
GUTEN APPETIT! 

Susan and GermanDeli.com, July 28, 00

I am looking to purchase  German Food in the Bay Area, preferably Berkeley.
My main focus lies on southern German food, but also certain dairy products such as "Quark".
Your help to locate a store or website would be appreciated.

Anja, Berkeley, July 13, 00     

We have found a couple of websites that specialize in German food. Try www.GermanDeli.com or Kuby’s Sausage House at www.kubys.com. Both are from Texas. These look intriguing and carry many many items.

In Berkeley, or in fact Northern California, there may be no German food store, as we believe that there is no Spanish food store as exists in Seattle. Sally will ask Manfried who is the owner of Bette's Diner and just back from Germany two days ago. We have no other leads, but will keep our ears open.

I thought that we might ask a German restaurant who they buy from. There are a few German restaurants in Northern California. If you click on www.sfgate.com and then Entertainment, and then Restaurants, and search for German, you will find seven restaurants, nearly all in San Francisco. They might be worth a call, but seem mainly to offer hearty cooking, rather than gourmet.

Hope that this is somewhat helpful. We are excited about the websites, as we had not known of them and they do look interesting, and have a good, friendly feel that we like. 

Larry, July 14, 00

Duane Norse wrote June 2, 00
     Help! My creme brulee turned out runny! Do you have a good recipe for creme brulee?

Hello Duane:
     Both Nina and Sally rely on Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I, for creme brulee. This is not surprising, as this volume always highlights dangers and explicitly tells you how to avoid them. They have also used the classic Joy of Cooking, although there seems to be some doubt that Rombauer's recipe is really creme brulee.
     In cooking creme brulee, egg yolks and boiling whipped cream are heated slowly until the mixture thickens and will coat a spoon. A danger is that the eggs will get too hot, scramble, and thus be unavailable to thicken the mixture. Maybe this is what happened to your mixture. Julia says to keep below the simmer, 165 degrees on a candy thermometer.
     A bit of cornstarch may be used as insurance. Some recipes call for a double boiler, but Julia says this is not necessary if you are careful enough and heat gradually.
     I hope that this is helpful. Let us know how it turns out next time.
     They both say that creme brulee is well worth learning, as it makes much more of an impression than ordinary custards.

                        Larry Luce, Special Flavors

Q. Why do you say never to cook spinach in aluminum? I hadn't heard that before.

- Marty, Berkeley, 5/10/00

A. Old-fashioned cookbooks and teachers have said that the acid in spinach, lemons and tomatoes, when heated in aluminum, develops a strong, bitter taste. 
This is not true, however, of pans such as Calphalon which are made of a mixture of metals bonded together in the process of making the pan. 
We also understand that aluminum in general is not as hazardous as previously supposed. We'll try to check this out with medical authorities as to their most current thinking. Thank you for asking and we hope this answer helps.

- Sally Swing, Special Flavors Staff, 5/14/00