Mike Nolan

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  • in reply to: Daily Quiz for February 8, 2020 #21101
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      I think the only thing I've ever made with lamb was some gyros meat. The cafeterias at Northwestern served mutton every now and then, it was not a big hit with students and was usually referred to as mystery meat, along with some vaguely pork-like product.

      in reply to: Daily Quiz for February 8, 2020 #21098
      Mike Nolan
      Keymaster

        I'm not likely to make this recipe either, because my wife won't eat lamb.

        Finding lamb shoulder might be a challenge, too, though I suspect Fareway Meat might be able to get it if they don't have it on hand. They have a lot of things in the back that there isn't space for in the display cabinet, like several types of veal.

        in reply to: Wholegrain Crispbread by Jan Hedh #21097
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          Lemon zest is pretty light, but I don't think I've ever weighed it.

          I've got a scale that measures in tenths of a gram that I use for measuring amounts under 15 grams, and I've got another scale that measures in 0.001 gram increments that I've only used in the kitchen a few times, though that's where I store it. (I used it to measure how much overlap there is in a lattice pie crust for an article on pie crusts I've been working on, inspired by an article PJ Hamel wrote several years ago.)

          I have no trouble believing that the anise seed would be a more overpowering odor than baker's ammonia, I use it very sparingly.

          in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21096
          Mike Nolan
          Keymaster

            I don't remember where I read about using cocoa instead of flour for a chocolate cake, I've been doing it for years, I like that it doesn't mess with the color and it adds just a hint of dark unsweetened cocoa taste to the cake, which helps cut through all the sugar in the frosting. A similar concept is to use sugar instead of flour for a white cake, I think Cass mentioned that back on the old KAF forum some time back.

            There are a couple of gluten-free people at my wife's office, so I will often make a larger Texas Chocolate sheet cake (at least 9 x 13) using wheat flour and a smaller one using gluten-free flour, usually with a little xanthan gum. The same frosting goes on both. It is hard to tell the difference between the two just by taste. I think the GF one needs to be baked a few minutes longer.

            in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21083
            Mike Nolan
            Keymaster

              This post has the link to the recipe I use plus my modifications to it.

              Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

              I start making the frosting while the cake is baking, but I wait a few minutes before pouring it on. The surface of the cake is usually between 140F and 150F when I pour the icing on. The icing is also warm, probably in the 120 degree range.

              Pouring a warm heavy icing on a hot cake compresses the cake a bit, which makes it fudgier.

              The frosting should be thick but still more or less pourable while warm, though you will need to scrape the pan. If you taste it and it tastes like old fashioned home-made fudge, you've done it right! It'll harden up in the pan as it cools.

              in reply to: Pizza-Making ? #21072
              Mike Nolan
              Keymaster

                I started using other spices as replacements for garlic a number of years ago, and I've been expanding their use as replacements for salt.

                Some spices have been more successful than others. Savory turns out to be too pungent or bitter. In addition to marjoram, I use a lot of bay leaf, thyme and basil these days, but you have to add basil towards the end because it gets bitter if cooked too much.

                I've been using a bit more ginger lately, too.

                in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21069
                Mike Nolan
                Keymaster

                  Not a book I'm familiar with, but I see Amazon has used copies for under $10 with shipping. May not be the same edition as the one you had, though. At over 1300 pages, it's a big book!

                  I've bought too many books in the last six months, I need to break myself of that habit, there are several I haven't even opened yet.

                  in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21068
                  Mike Nolan
                  Keymaster

                    We had spaghetti tonight. I made pasta 2 nights in a row, but today's batch didn't come together quickly, I'm not sure what I did different from last night. It was crumbly for the first several passes through the pasta rollers, so I guess it needed a little more water, but it felt damper than yesterday's batch.

                    in reply to: Pizza-Making ? #21057
                    Mike Nolan
                    Keymaster

                      I've gotten lazy with spaghetti. I take a can of Hunts Traditional or Mushroom sauce (the only two without garlic as a listed ingredient) and I add a can of petite diced tomatoes (no salt added preferred) and a can of mushroom ends and pieces.

                      If I'm feeling energetic (or hungry) I'll make meatballs and cook them in the sauce first, but it is also good if I just brown some ground beef and throw it in the sauce, and a little less greasy since I drain the ground beef after cooking it.

                      It is fairly traditional to put a little red wine in marinara, so red wine vinegar actually makes some sense. I don't see that the quantity being used is going to have a material impact on acidity. I like using marjoram in tomato sauces, I think it is an underused and underappreciated spice, and of course I leave out the garlic, but I add onion.

                      in reply to: What are You Baking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21056
                      Mike Nolan
                      Keymaster

                        I'm pretty sure this is his buns recipe, it was derived from the Old Milwaukee recipe in Ginsberg's book: Rye Bread/Buns

                        in reply to: Daily Quiz for February 6, 2020 #21055
                        Mike Nolan
                        Keymaster

                          Yukon Gold and similar potatoes are considered all-purpose potatoes.

                          in reply to: Wholegrain Crispbread by Jan Hedh #21039
                          Mike Nolan
                          Keymaster

                            Fresh yeast is quite a bit heavier than dried yeast, and hard to find, though NY Bakers sells it by the pound. It gets really expensive when you throw in the Fedex overnight charge.

                            in reply to: Pizza-Making ? #21038
                            Mike Nolan
                            Keymaster

                              No, I haven't tried it, I have my own marinara recipe that makes a good pizza or lasagna sauce. But it makes a lot, since I start with a #10 can of diced tomatoes.

                              in reply to: What are You Cooking the Week of February 2, 2020? #21037
                              Mike Nolan
                              Keymaster

                                We got a dusting of snow this morning, but it got up into the 60's over the weekend so things are melting a bit.

                                We had ground beef stroganoff on home made noodles tonight.

                                in reply to: Pizza-Making ? #21025
                                Mike Nolan
                                Keymaster

                                  I don't see any working links in your post. Sometimes getting links to work is a bit tricky.

                                  There used to be a vendor at the Sunday farmer's market near us who had a Forno Bravo wood fired pizza oven on a trailer. (Forno Bravo sponsors Peter Reinhart's Pizza Quest blog site.)

                                  But when the market changed locations two seasons ago, he stopped coming.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 4,756 through 4,770 (of 7,567 total)