narcimund 0 #1 December 21, 2002 I just surprised myself with the best mug of cocoa I have ever tasted. It was the first mug from my new shipment of Valrhona 24% butterfat powdered pure cocoa. If anyone is a cocoa fan, you have GOT to get this stuff. It's silky creamy fatty love in a mug. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skeletor 0 #2 December 21, 2002 Just the treat if you want to raise your christmas wing loading... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DZBone 0 #3 December 21, 2002 What kind of coffee do you mix it with? _________________________________________________ If you hadn't read this, would it have made a sound? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #4 December 21, 2002 Quote It's silky creamy fatty love in a mug. wow. you could sell the stuff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blewaway5 0 #5 December 21, 2002 Where exavtly would one go about getting some of this "silky creamy fatty love in a mug?" You're making it sound pretty good, and I'm thinking I might have to try it. Truman Sparks for President Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #6 December 21, 2002 I figure it this way. If Narci is getting it, I can't afford it. Enjoy a mug on my behalf, Narcimund. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blewaway5 0 #7 December 21, 2002 hehehe, yeah, it seems like I remember seeing something about a bottle of scotch he bought at a duty-free shop at an airport or something like that. If memory serves me correctly it was worth more than most of the cars I've owned Truman Sparks for President Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #8 December 21, 2002 Quote Maybe someday I'll by you a batch of awesome cocoa, Michele Stephen, you got it! That is, if I don't get there first. In which case, I will buy you (and Narci, of course!!) a container of it, and we'll all jump in the cold, and then land perfectly to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd, and then have hot cocoa. The fatty kind. (Maybe even spike the second cup with some of that liqueur that costs as much as a car). It's good to have dreams!Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blewaway5 0 #9 December 21, 2002 ya know, Michele, I think I could get along with you pretty well. There's nothing in the whole world like a dreamer with a heart. Keep it up Truman Sparks for President Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #10 December 21, 2002 QuoteWhere exavtly would one go about getting some of this "silky creamy fatty love in a mug?" You're making it sound pretty good, and I'm thinking I might have to try it. I bought Valrhona Cocoa from World Spice where it costs only $1.50 per ounce. Yes Michele, that's probably expensive for cocoa but hell! You don't need much! Buy 4 ounces (about a cup) for $6.00 and use one heaping tablespoon per mug (with one heaping tablespoon of sugar, 12 ounces of hot milk, and a generous squirt of real vanilla extract. Total cost per mug: about $0.75. And yes, we have ridiculously expensive liquors but we sip them 1/2-shot at a time! Total cost per evening to taste the best scotch in the world: about $3.00! (The price for a full shot of the same scotch at a bar: $25.00!) Expensive things are cheap if you enjoy them slowly and at home. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #11 December 21, 2002 Quote Expensive things are cheap if you enjoy them slowly and at home. that could be your new subject line Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #12 December 21, 2002 Quote that could be your new subject line You got it! By the way: Last night we ate real foie gras soaked in brandy and poached, chilled, then crumbled on extra-virgin olive oil fried bread points with paper-thin tomato slices. Foie gras: $50/pound. Our snack: about $4 for two. You don't need much! (Same thing in a restaurant? Probably $20.) Last week I bought Truffles to shave onto a cold potato-leek soup. French white truffles: $1200/pound. Our soup: About $10 for two. You don't need much! (Same thing in a restaurant? I've seen it for $75/each!) Did you hear that? Our $75 bowls of soup cost us $5 each. You can't get a "value meal" at McDonalds for that! So don't give me shit about 'can't afford to eat like Narcimund'! We eat REALLY REALLY well because we know how to cook and aren't afraid of the price per pound. Who cares that saffron is 5 times more expensive than gold? You put 5 threads in rice for $0.25 and it smells like heaven. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #13 December 21, 2002 I went to a small dinner party. It was very low key. We had a nice white zin. and a cheese platter with some port salut that is now in my fridge...the really moldy cheese (that I cannot remember the name of) was yucky, I made a great salad (tarragon and dill gave it a nice hint), and we had a very nice salmon.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #14 December 21, 2002 Don't get me started about cheeses! People buy these waxy, factory-made cheeses with no flavor from supermarkets for $6/pound then grate PILES of the shit on their food to melt. It adds about a zillion calories and about nothing to the flavor. Total cost: $3 per meal. Now, instead, go to a snooty fromagerie with a display case of imported french and bugarian and swiss hand-made artisinal cheeses. Each one is $12 - $20/pound, but think it through. Have the cheese guy slice you a few samples and ask his advice, "What would you recommend for (baking/tasting with wine/dessert)?" A quarter pound per person is PLENTY because they taste WONDERFUL. Buy soft creamy cheeses for spreading on thinly sliced bakery breads (not the pre-sliced factory crap from the supermarket!) Buy firm cheese for a dessert cheese plate or for baking. Buy hard cheeses for grating into salads. Buy ANYTHING made from goat! Chevres are incredible. DON'T EAT THEM COLD! Let them come to room temperature for Christ's sake! You're not an eskimo choking down whale blubber. This is for tasting! Don't buy the stinky cheeses until you know what you're doing, though. They'll give you a bad impression before you're ready to handle it. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #15 December 21, 2002 And herbs. HERBS! My god but people underuse fresh herbs. Dill! Marjoram! Parsley! Chives! Thymes! Mints! Every one of them adds a freshness and liveliness to the crappiest meal. So here's what you do, children. Follow my instructions and become a chef: Next April, drive to the nearest nursery with $25 and buy 10 different herb starts. They'll come in 2" plastic pots and look too small to flavor a cracker. Now drive home, put on some grubby pants, and PUT THEM IN THE GROUND! Pick a sunny spot and dribble a little water on their thirstly little heads. Now wait. Add water occasionally. Around June you're going to notice a small forest outside your house. Now EAT IT! Eat some in every meal. Add it to canned soups. Add it to salads. Add it to TV dinners for god's sake. Go out to the garden and grab a handful of good flavor and chop it into your food. It's not hard, people! First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #16 December 21, 2002 Oh, I wasn't getting you started, I was simply stating that last night at my dinner party we had a cheese plate. ...I am not big on cheeses, but my neighbor just brought some parm reggiano home from Italy that was very nice, and the port salut wasn't bad either...but I mostly snacked while I was preparing the salad. My friend and I snacked on a nice havarti with dill and red grapes the other day for lunch...that was interesting. raw oysters on the half shell, on the other hand.... there is a great seafood raw bar across the bay from where I live and at least once a week a bunch of us would go over there for the "wolfe special" 4 jumbo shrimp and 4 oysters...mixed with a few margaritas... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #17 December 21, 2002 oh, I love to utilize herbs! In salads, they are great. With the right blend you can totally eliminate the need for a heavy fat rich dressing...keeping it simple of course. Dill, tarragon, thyme, fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Voila. I am so tired when I get home from work but like once a week I will make say salmon, keep it simple, a little butter, dill, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and a few slices of lemon, bake at 375, pop under the broiler and voila. dinner is served. ...I really do love to cook. I make a chocolate truffle cake that you would die for. It is flourless, so the consistancy is of a soft butter...it is amazing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #18 December 21, 2002 QuoteOh, I wasn't getting you started Sorry, Skygal. I'm not railing at you. It's 5am and I'm awake in an empty, quiet house and it's more fun to write about food than to clean the kitchen or lie in bed failing to sleep. Food is more a passion of mine than skydiving is. Or sex. Or beer (don't get me started about beers!) It's fun to let loose with what really matters to me occasionally. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #19 December 21, 2002 Chocolate truffle cake? How do you make it? A friend of mine has made chocolate a huge hobby lately, and I don't mean store-bought candy. He buys whole green cocoa nibs in large bags and experiments. Sometimes he strikes out but he's getting better and occasionally builds a cake that you'll remember for the rest of your life. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #20 December 21, 2002 Quote Chocolate truffle cake? How do you make it? hee hee...thats my secret. If I told you, I would have to kill you... I melt a few diff. kinds of choc over a double boiler or whatever, maybe 6 oz of bittersweet and 4 oz of milk, it depends, add in butter, set aside...fluff a bunch of egg whites, add the yolks to the choc mixture, take 1/3 of the egg whites, mix with the choc, then gently fold the rest of the egg whites, and bake. After it cools it needs to chill for about 24 hours and after that it is simply amazing, melts in your mouth...it is very hard to make because of the smells...makes your mouth water! I will try to write down the recipe and pm it to you... Oh, and I also make a great cappuccino cheesecake...and this soft chewy choc biscotti with walnuts...now I am getting hungry! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #21 December 21, 2002 Oh, be still mine heart! Someone who bakes... I don't bake. Never have. If it isn't made on the stovetop or on the grill or in a smoker, I can't make it. My one grief about my relationship is I should have picked someone who bakes. Too bad New Hampshire is so far away ... First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #22 December 21, 2002 I started out baking when I was very young, and adapted my culinary skills as I got older...hahaha... I do love to bake, but I also love to cook. I really wanted to open up my own casual bistro type place, but running one business was enough for a lifetime. I make very simple dishes, I think that is my style. Simplicity is key with me. Little things are my signatures such as the above mentioned, but also things like my guacamole, lasagna, and my breakfasts...I have a thing for italian food...if it consists of either garlic or chocolate, I can pretty much master it. Now chinese food, I have no idea how they do that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
f1freak 0 #23 December 21, 2002 Quote I will make say salmon, keep it simple, a little butter, dill, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and a few slices of lemon, bake at 375, pop under the broiler and voila. dinner is served. This talk is making me hungry...Try this, i like to do it on the grill, but broiling works. Fresh tuna steaks, brush with a little olive oil. a little salt and pepper. cook about half way, then put thin slices of roma tomatoes on the tuna, finish cooking and then add just a bit of grated parmesan cheese on top.... Serve with a touch balsamic vinegar...HAVE FUN... ...JUST DONT DIE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygal3 0 #24 December 21, 2002 hmmm...that sounds yummy. I will admit I really haven't experienced too much in the way of tuna steaks...lol...I was promised a dinner of grilled tuna but my date never came through for me!the balsamic vinegar is interesting. being from RI, I love to make a beefsteak tomato sandwich on fresh italian bread and dip it in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and ground pepper/salt...yummy..(that was actually my dinner a few nights ago!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #25 December 21, 2002 Quotecook about half way, then put thin slices of roma tomatoes on the tuna, finish cooking and then add just a bit of grated parmesan cheese on top.... Oh yum. This sounds great! It would be a good recipe for actually cooking the tuna, too, being italian-ish. Usually I do japanese things to tuna which means leaving it raw or just searing the outside. I got to taste imported tuna-filled hot cherry peppers in oil a few days ago. Very yummy and I then used the tuna/chili oil for sauteeing asparagus. Added grated Romano cheese at the end and let the cheese crisp in the pan before serving. The spicy fishiness was aromatic and wonderful. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
