Text 12961, 135 rader
Skriven 2007-03-12 11:50:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BARBARA MCNAY
Ärende: UN-EARTHLY 208
======================
 > Which completely foxes me. You'd think that the bottler
 > would want to cover his or her butt in every possible way.
 BM> Yes.  Perhaps I'll send them an email to ask about it.

In the interests of knowledge, eh. Though I find it a bit of
a curious inconsistency (now that you mention it), I wouldn't
bother them with it, as you'll likely get a polite letter
that says something like "thanks for bringing this to our
attention" and little more (if anything).
 
 BM> I don't think it's particularly couth to indulge in
 BM> health-compromising activities solely for doubtful social benefit. At
 BM> that age, I'd call it, politely, misordered priorities.

In the long run one might say so, but at the age of
somethingteen, social acceptance is as essential as air.

 > Expensive and not worth it, but possible.
 BM> What does one get, then, chunks of bird's nest to fill a cup measure?

Pretty much. You could do a weighing thing - probably as it's
not very dense, 4 oz of bird's nest would make a cup.

 >  BM> Smithfield Hams are Chinese?  Have they been outsourced?
 > Smarty pants. Smithfield hams 1. are very like Yunnan
 > hams and
 > 2. have in fact been exported to China.
 BM> I was wondering whether I was waay behind the times, and the hams were
 BM> now imported from China.

Hams that are rather like Smithfield hams have been imported
from China, but it's not really cost-effective, as our Virginia
hams are perfectly good and serve the same purpose. The only
difference I've discerned is that the Chinese ones taste older.

 BM> What I'm not clear on is, is there something other than the
 BM> mucopolysaccharide in the nest, such as conventional building materials
 BM> of twigs and grasses, or is the nest completely soluble?

Yes to the former. There are other impurities that one might
want to get rid of as well.

 > more like a very gooey pasta but as it slowly breaks
 > down after all that abuse does begin to thicken the liquid.
 BM> Avian oxtail, as it were?

Rather. But from my memory not nearly so nice as oxtail.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Oxtail Pate
 Categories: Beef, Groundmeat, Appetizers
      Yield: 1 batch

           The oxtail and broth:
      5 lb Oxtail
      4    Stalks celery, quartered
      4 md Carrots, quartered
      2 md Onions, peeled and halved
     10    Peppercorns, whole
      5    Allspice berries, whole
      5    Juniper berries, whole
      5    Bay leaves
      1 tb Kosher salt
           Assembling the pate:
           Meat from 5 pounds prepared
           Oxtail (above)
      1    Onion, chopped
    3/4    Stick unsalted butter
    1/3 c  Fresh orange juice
      1 tb Bottled capers
      2 tb Oxtail bouillon
    1/8 ts Ground cloves
      1 ts Kosher salt
      1 ts White pepper

  The leftover stock will be gelatinous enough to slightly gel in the
  fridge, but becomes liquid again quickly at room temperature. Caveat:
  though the part about discarding the bones and fat from the oxtail
  comprise a simple sentence in this recipe, it is tedious work to
  separate the meat and that's where most of the effort goes. It is
  worth it. The rich flavor of the oxtail married with the orange juice
  (and I threw in some Remy Martin as well) is a once in a blue moon
  treat, as high fat recipes should be. If you're gonna eat the
  unhealthy stuff, you might as well do it, when you do, on something
  that is worth it.

  Oh - and instead of using a food processor, I ran the meat mixture
  through a grinder, then added the liquids. Here it is:

  1. Arrange the celery, carrots, and onions in the bottom of a shallow
  roasting pan. Place the oxtails atop and place into an unheated oven.

  2. Set temperature to 500 F, and turn on the oven. After oven heats,
  sustain 500 for 10 minutes then turn oven off. Allow meat and
  vegetables to cool for 45 minutes without opening the oven door.

  3. Remove meat and vegetable to a large stock pot. Deglaze roasting
  pan with 1/2 cup tawny port on a burner at high heat. Strain and add
  to the meat mixture.

  4. Add water to cover meat mixture and add the spices. Bring to a
  boil and simmer gently for 2 1/2 hours, skimming as needed.

  5. Strain the stock. Discard stock vegetables. Allow the oxtails to
  cool and remove bones and remaining fat. Chill the stock and remove
  excess fat. Strain through fine cheesecloth and reduce to 1 pint
  liquid over medium heat. Add more tawny port, if desired, and one
  teaspoon Marmite, if desired. This is the oxtail bouillon used in the
  recipe.

  Assembling the pate....

  1. Place meat in a food processor. Cook the onion in a skillet with 2
  tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally,
  until it is golden and add to the meat along with the remaining
  butter, the orange juice, the capers, the bouillon, the cloves,
  pepper, and salt. Pulse the motor until the pate is minced, but not
  pureed.

  2. Pack the pate into a crock, cover tightly,  and chill at least 24
  hours before serving. This may be made up to 3 days in advance. Serve
  with a good crusty peasant-style bread.

  From the Epicurious website - though I've added some minor variations.

  [M doesn't endorse this note:]
  VEGETARIAN VERSION: same as above, but omit the oxtail. <g>

  Original poster unknown.

MMMMM
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