Show us the food dishes you've prepared.

[Tomasso]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]

other San Marzanos that I've tried don't measure up to the quality here. [/QUOTE]
Have you tried the authentic San Marzanos from Italy ? There's no mistaking them, they are labeled DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta). Night and day, baby, night and day......:essen:

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Have you tried the authentic San Marzanos from Italy ? There's no mistaking them, they are labeled DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta). Night and day, baby, night and day......:essen:

where can i get those babies? i live in 'bumbleduck', oregon with a safeway and walmart so i'm doubting i can pick them up here...

the closest i can come are romas which are also good for sauces...

 

["Skeet" McD]

Have you tried the authentic San Marzanos from Italy ? There's no mistaking them, they are labeled DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta). Night and day, baby, night and day......:essen:

Caro Tomasso! Si! ma certo! Both in Italy--including fresh, right in Napoli--and here, in the can.

Like I mentioned earlier, the packaging for the brand I like so much doesn't really make it very easy to figure out the details, and based on taste alone, for YEARS I assumed they were in fact imported; carried on at great length about the mineralization of the Vesuvian soil, etc., etc. whenever I served anything that had them in it....which was frequently! Then, one day...I read the fine print.

Tell you the truth...I then went out to compare with the "real" Italian ones...and found that I still preferred this brand. Now, tastes differ: my "pefect" tomato might well be different from yours in terms of acidity or whatever. But, for me, THESE are the best.

Sam, if you Google "DOP San Marzano" you'll find plenty of cybermerchants who will be happy to send you some real San Marzanos...here's one, almost at random, which seems to be around the average in price:
http://taylors-market.amazonwebstore.com/B000N36F9E/M/B000N36F9E.htm

Here's a thread on Chowhound about San Marzanos: it seems to have just about everything you might expect: good information; snobbishness; misinformation; common sense! You sort it out!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/430117

But, in this as in all things: the thing to trust is your tongue, not your brain (or your pocketbook): try as many as you can, decide which one YOU like...and let the rest of us go hang!

Cheers,
"Skeet"

 

[Laura Chase]

Oh my, I love this, it's fantastic that you can discuss tomatoes so intently, it's great and shows that you are real feinschmeckers who enjoy good food! Thumbs up!

I often buy fresh san marzanos from a local shop and they are oooh sooo good! Like candy. Yum.

 

[Lillemor]

I'm taking that tomato photo to the beauty counter next time I'm buying lipstick and nailpolish!

 

[rumblefish]

Oh my, I love this, it's fantastic that you can discuss tomatoes so intently, it's great and shows that you are real feinschmeckers who enjoy good food! Thumbs up!

I often buy fresh san marzanos from a local shop and they are oooh sooo good! Like candy. Yum.

I grew San Marzanos for the first time two years ago. If I remember right, they seemed a bit more stout than this photo. Not only did I find them to be of superior taste, as mentioned above, they were a bit drier than Roma and other plums(which is what I want for sauce). Though, it may have been the growing conditions...

Skeet thanks for those links!

I think Tomasso lives in the world"s food-crossroads, NYC. He can get anything.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Here are some sweet things I have made recently!

Flapjacks (which means something different in America, I believe?)

White chocolate muffins

Chocolate & peanut butter swirl

And more flapjacks! (They're my chap's favourite. lol )

 

[Laura Chase]

Fleur, you fox! You're drop dead gorgeous and you can bake!

Please do give us the recipe for the chocolate and peanut butter swirl!

 

["Skeet" McD]

Here are some sweet things I have made recently!

Flapjacks (which means something different in America, I believe?)

Yup: for us, they're....these, which we just saw looking so...edible :

Pancakes anyone?

What, exactly, are yours? (besides being very edible-looking themselves )

The marbling in your chocolate & peanut butter swirls is very artistic!

"Skeet"

 

["Skeet" McD]

Oh my, I love this, it's fantastic that you can discuss tomatoes so intently, it's great and shows that you are real feinschmeckers who enjoy good food!

Thanks, Laura: I always DID prefer "Feinschmecker" to gourmet....and "Kenner u. Liebhaber" to amateur..... Is there any Danish speciality you'll share with us?

Thanks again!
"Skeet"

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Thanks Laura and thanks Skeet for the info!

Laura, the recipe is on my blog, but here it is for reference!

Chocolate & peanut butter swirl

360g (13oz) white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup (140g) smooth peanut butter
400g (14oz) dark chocolate, chopped coarsely

♥ Line a 20cm (8") square cake tin with baking parchment.
♦ Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until smooth.
♣ Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth.
♠ Melt dark chocolate in the same way, cool slightly.
♥ Starting with the dark chocolate, pour about a quarter of each mixture into the pan at a time, alternating between dark and white.
♦ Pull a skewer through the mixture, first horizontally, then vertically for a marbled effect. Your tin of mixture should now look like [the above pic]!

Then, just leave it to cool. I tend to pop it in the fridge but if you have the time, you can leave it to set at room temperature - it'll take 2-3 hours. If you do put it in the fridge, make sure it has warmed up to room temp before you cut it or it tends to splinter. Unless you don't care about presentation and just want to scoff it as it is (and who would blame you?)! But it looks so effective in little squares and makes a great gift.

Skeet, our flapjacks are basically oats, butter, sugar and lots of golden syrup! Simple, cheap and tasty (and fattening!) lol

 

[SamMarlowPI]

'the swirl' has officially been added to my recipes...i just hope i can get the marbling right

 

[Darhling]

I need a good recipé for those thick american pancakes! I can only makes crépes..

 

["Skeet" McD]

Happy to oblige!

I need a good recipé for those thick american pancakes! I can only makes crépes..

I'm sure everyone has their own favorite: this is mine—

SELF-RISING BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk powder*
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup water*
1 large egg
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup blueberries (optional)
If using “real” buttermilk, omit powder and substitute buttermilk for water

Method:
In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients, whisking to blend.
Measure water in measuring cup, then add egg and butter, whisking to blend.
Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir until almost blended.
Lightly grease griddle(s) and heat over medium heat until a drop of water dances.
Pour sufficient batter to make 6-inch pancakes (sprinkle with fruit if using) and cook until bubbles on surface begin to break. Turn pancakes over and cook until lightly browned.
Makes 7 6-inch pancakes.

The trick with anything using chemical leavening is to avoid the STRONG DESIRE to overmix: really, 10 stirs will be more than sufficient. There will still be unmixed flour visible: don't worry. It will sort itself out! The chemical reaction which produces the bubbles is strong and....very short-lived. You want to trap as many of them IN the batter as possible; that will give you nice, thick LIGHT pancakes.

I have no idea whether self-rising flour is available in Sweden...if not, you can make your own, using whatever matches our US "all purpose" flour:
http://www.nestle.com/NutritionHealthAndWellness/Cooking/AskGilla/Bakery/Making+self+rising+flour.htm

Interestingly (perhaps) Darhling: I never made these "American" pancakes until marrying my wife, who's from Michigan out in the Midwest...in my family, "pancakes" were....crépes. Although we're of Irish descent, my father spent his very young childhood being raised by his French-Canadian grandmére...and those were pancakes, to him...

 

[Darhling]

Thank you Skeet!! Crépes in Sweden & Denmark are also known as simply pancakes, and the thick ones are called american pancakes Also, it isn't traditional eaten for breakfast but for dessert.

 

["Skeet" McD]

More from/for the pantry...

Dear friends,
Seeing as the whole San Marzano thing proved so interesting, here's another staple I love.

I'm suspicious of faddery...I suppose that's one of the reasons I find the FL so congenial. And certainly the whole gourmet salt thing that's now, perhaps, finally going to its grave qualifies. I'm sorry: I can't see paying for salt—any salt—at the same rate as gold. But, there certainly ARE differences between salts, and it pays to try a bunch and find out what you like. It's even better when you find out that what you like can be had...cheaply.

Here's an Italian sun-dried sea salt I love...and, unlike most you'll see on the shelves....you can buy these for less than $2.00 a can. Worth looking around for, I think!

http://gallery.me.com/finiancircle#100014/DSCF1993

Here in the Northeastern corner of Massachusetts, I can buy it at that price at the Market Basket chain...but that's quite local, I fear. A bit of Googling showed that most cybermerchants are selling for around $3.00 a can; but here's someone you can buy from for $2--if you buy 6 at a time. Hey, it doesn't go bad!
http://www.shopwiki.com/search/ALESSI+Mediterranean+Sea+Salt+24+oz

 

[Lillemor]

Fleur, I'm envious. I love to cook but baking's a chore. Thanks for posting the recipes though. I'll have to motivate myself to bake.

 

[THe Conductor]

Thank you Skeet!! Crépes in Sweden & Denmark are also known as simply pancakes, and the thick ones are called american pancakes Also, it isn't traditional eaten for breakfast but for dessert.

Throw in some apple chunks or blue berries for a real treat.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

nothing fancy...

simple hush puppies:

somebody put up a spam thread in another department and i mentioned 'spam n potatoes' so, here ya go:

apologies for the terrible quality photos...and for blowing up this thread all of a sudden with my food lollol

 

[Lorena B]

Yum!! i love this thread!!!