Text 22892, 140 rader
Skriven 2015-01-13 19:32:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: beef oddities 69
========================
 NB>> Now that's sad.  Unless the mac & cheese was especially wonderful...
 ML> It was okay. The meat, what a disappointment.
 NB> One does expect better of an advertised special... :)

Perhaps. There are various reasons. But what I found
extra dissonant was that the waitress claimed that the
whole range of donenesses was possible.

 NB> One might think that the kitchen would precook only to a shade (or
 NB> less) short of rare, or at least have one roast at that point... Not
 NB> everybody wants their prime rib well-done...

Well would have been better - the muscle fibers break
down, and though the nice juice flavor is gone, it is
replaced by a pot-roasty richness.

 NB>> So did the cook quit before or after the order...??
 ML> Heh. The day before, they said.
 NB> Indeed.  One does wonder, though, if they'd been having similar
 NB> problems satisfiying orders properly before your party showed up...

The rest of the customers seemed happy enough (they also
seemed drunk enough).

 NB> maybe nobody before you guys had ordered it rare, perhaps...  (Any
 NB> color, as long as it's black, comes to mind... [g])

Many years ago, when I lived in the high-rise apartment
that some echo people may be familiar with, the local
Stop & Shop used to periodically carry peculiar things:
whether they were trial balloons or maybe just fallen
off the back of a truck. One of the specials, at $3.99
a pound, was vacuum-packed chunks of boneless rib roast
cooked already to about medium-rare. As I was watching
my pennies and needed my protein, I got a couple of
these (before they went away forever), which were
palatable enough but had that weird texture that I noted
from the beef at the Nippenose Cafe (that was its name,
if I didn't say so before). Of course I ate the stuff
unreheated and cold.

Another one-time oddity was a pair of sirloins that were
marbled to a degree equal to the fanciest Wagyu that I
have seen in Japan and Singapore. I of course snapped
them up and had a great time with them - sliced them thin
and seared the slices for a few seconds each, eating them
plain, with onions, and/or with soy sauce. I have no idea
where these came from and why they were in a slightly
gritty grocery store in a slightly gritty neighborhood.

 ML> And that's for one slice. I tried two slices for 16 seconds,
 ML> but the additional water in the compartment meant that the
 ML> food had already sogged up.
 NB> Another experiment should start with the two slices, I guess... ;) 
 NB> And maybe at, oh, 13, 14 seconds to start...  :)

We could cook up a pound of scrapple just for that
experiment, fun, fun.

 ML> Before rehearsal the other day I went to this place called
 ML> Full Rack BBQ - used to be a titty bar, hence the name.
 ML> The waitress hadn't shown up, so the bartender had the front
 ML> of house all for himself, but it was clear he wasn't used to
 ML> the pressure: he could hardly mix drinks, he was so frazzled,
 ML> and it was 15 minutes before we got menus even, even though
 ML> he asked us to move from the dining area to the bar so he
 ML> could serve us faster.
 NB> Was it terribly busy...?  Tough thing for him, though, to have to do
 NB> unaccustomed double duty... 

It was not that busy, but he was that addled.

Interestingly, towards the end of our meal, the waitress
showed up (apparently she'd been stuck in the snow or
something like that), and the bartender abruptly left,
which of course made the waitress have to do double duty
herself from then on. Not sure about the employee
relations at the place.
 
 ML> Big portions, and I took a couple ribs and (waste not, want
 ML> not) the rice back on the plane.
 NB> So at least the rice was edible, of sorts... ;)

Almost anything is edible in comparison to airplane food.

Tomorrow I get 5 airplane meals! Breakfast, lunch, dinner,
snack, and dinner. 

Fresh Silken Tofu
categories: vegetarian, starter
Yield:  Six 1/2 c portions

3 c soy milk, chilled
1/2 ts Epsom salt or magnesium chloride (nigari)
- dissolved in 2 Tb water
Optional garnishes such as dried bonito flakes,
- soy sauce or ponzu sauce, freshly grated ginger,
- finely chopped cucumber, chopped scallion

Pour the coagulant solution into the soy milk,
using a spoon to blend them together with a
couple of gentle plunging motions.

Taking care not to agitate the mixture too much,
distribute it among six 1/2-cup heatproof bowls,
cups, or ramekins.

Place the filled dishes in a pan that is deep
enough to accommodate them. Pour simmering water
into the pan so that it reaches the same level
as the soy milk mixture.

Cover the pan with a lid that is lined with a
clean, dry dish towel (fold up the edges over
the lid to prevent the towel from catching fire)
and simmer gently over low heat until the tofu
is just set. It should jiggle like a custard.
The exact time will vary depending on the
thickness and material of your dishes, but
should be roughly 10 min. If you use larger
dishes, it will take a little longer.

Carefully remove the dishes from their water
bath and allow the tofu to set 10 min at room
temperature.

Serve warm or chilled. The tofu can be served
directly in their little bowls or inverted onto a
small dish. Some serving suggestions: garnish
with lemon zest, finely chopped cucumber, and
sea salt flakes; dried bonito flakes and ponzu
sauce; freshly grated ginger, chopped scallion,
and soy sauce.

Kumiko Mitarai, seriouseats.com


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