Foodie stuff I bought yesterday

[CWS4322]

I had a meeting with a client in the "trendy" part of the city yesterday. The meeting went longer than I thought it would. DH wanted to get some stuff in the city, so we rode in together. I missed meeting him at the time we said we'd meet, so he went off to run one of his errands. While I was waiting for him, I went to a "Spice and Herb" store (not available where we are--there is only one grocery store). I bought white truffel oil, avacado oil, lemon grass (preserved in water) and cassia. Don't quite know what I should do with these...HELP!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

White Truffle Oil is a great garnish for a mushroom omelet. Do not cook with it or you will lose the flavor.

Avocado oil makes a great salad dressing base. Just add to your favorite acid and herbs.

Cassia is also called chinese cinnamon. Did you get the stick form?

Haven't used lemongrass.

 

[joesfolk]

I am green with envy. We have a spice store here but it is all the way across town and I don't think that they carry any of those things. It's hard to find those kinds of things in this very large mid-west town. And I hate to pay for shipping on the internet. I think I would probably have to go to Chicago to find the kinds of things that you picked up. Consider yourself lucky.

 

[CWS4322]

The cassia are the buds. They do taste like cinnamon...I recall recipes that used these...guess I have to hunt for those!

 

[jennyema]

Unless the water is acidified, get the lemongrass out ASAP and freeze it if you can't use it right away.

 

[Skittle68]

I keep hearing about truffle oil lately- what is so special about truffles?? I've never tried them. They are just mushrooms right? And truffle oil tastes like mushrooms? I love mushrooms, but never understood how truffles could be so much better than, say, portobellas. Enlighten me?

 

[jennyema]

I keep hearing about truffle oil lately- what is so special about truffles?? I've never tried them. They are just mushrooms right? And truffle oil tastes like mushrooms? I love mushrooms, but never understood how truffles could be so much better than, say, portobellas. Enlighten me?

Truffles are fungus but they don't taste anything like "mushrooms." They grow underground at the bases of trees and you need dogs or pigs to sniff them out. Hence, they are VERY expensive.

They look like small potatoes and have a deep, earthy aroma and flavor all their own. Very difficult to describe but once you've tasted them, you are either hooked or hate them. Many people say their small is much stronger than their taste.

Because of their strong flavor and essence, they are used sparingly as a flavoring and not much as an actual ingredient. They can be shaved onto things like pasta or used to flavor an oil, or used as an accompanymentm or garnish.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I keep hearing about truffle oil lately- what is so special about truffles?? I've never tried them. They are just mushrooms right? And truffle oil tastes like mushrooms? I love mushrooms, but never understood how truffles could be so much better than, say, portobellas. Enlighten me?

Skittle check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle_(fungus) for the full story on why a truffle is not just a mushroom.

 

[Skittle68]

Thanks I had truffle mashed potatoes once at a fancy restaurant in Vegas once- I don't remember being particularly impressed, but maybe they didn't use enough for me to really be able to distinguish the flavor well enough. There were actual chunks of truffle though, not (just) truffle oil. Besides, I was more interested in the Kobe beef steak on my plate. Mmmmmmm melts like butter!

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks I had truffle mashed potatoes once at a fancy restaurant in Vegas once- I don't remember being particularly impressed, but maybe they didn't use enough for me to really be able to distinguish the flavor well enough. There were actual chunks of truffle though, not (just) truffle oil. Besides, I was more interested in the Kobe beef steak on my plate. Mmmmmmm melts like butter!

OK, now you're talkin' my kind of meal!

 

[Selkie]

I bought some foodie stuff yesterday too. I purchased the KitchenAid adjustable pasta roller (Bed, Bath & Beyond - $59.95), but I have no intentions of making pasta. I do, however, bake pies, so I got it in order to roll out a uniform pie crust without having to mess with a rolling pin using my arthritic hands and wrists.

It outputs a 6" wide strip, so overlapping and sealing a center seam from two pieces, I can produce a crust wide enough for either a 9" or even 10" pie.

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I find Black Truffle oil at a local damaged goods warehouse/shop for about 1/3 the price found in a traditional market.

 

[mollyanne]

White Truffle Oil is one of the many things I've purchased as a result of reading this forum ....even bought a set of All-Clad pans...this free forum is costing me a fortune

But I'm not wild about the Truffle Oil. Thankfully I only paid 9.99 (originally sells for 18.00) for a small bottle I found at Homegoods..."al Tartufo Bianco" from Italy. I think it's faily good quality. Wish I could mail it off to someone here who likes it but the seal has already been broken.

As for the Lemongrass (original post)...that's in a lot of Tai food dishes. I'm not wild about that flavor either...but lots of people love it

.

 

[jacky77]

i bought some truffle oil last weekend and used it last night. I had a mushroom ravioli and per advice on here drizzled it over the pasta at the end. I did put an alfredo sauce over it as well, but there seemed to be a subtle taste and odor that didn't disrupt the meal, but added to it. It wasn't awful but it was interesting and tasty. i only bought mine for 7 bucks at Ross!

 

[NoraC]

I have never seen lemongrass preserved in water, but it's worth a whirl. Lemongrass is used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking mainly. It has a lemon flavor that makes you a believer in flavor layering. I think it works best teamed with lime leaves and galanga. In using it, it is pretty much like a bay leaf - too tough to eat, unless you pulverize it. I bang it around a but, then drop it into the dish towards the end of cooking. If yo have not tried lemongrass before, google up a recipe for Tome Kha Gai - most everyone loves it and you will get the lemongrass experience. If you have trouble finding a promising one, I can type up mine, but not until after church.

 

[CWS4322]

Unless the water is acidified, get the lemongrass out ASAP and freeze it if you can't use it right away.

THANKS! It has citric acid in it, so I'm guessing it is okay? A friend has pickled LG, and when I've house sat for her, I've used it (that was what I wanted...). The store had fresh LG, but I knew I wouldn't use it right away so I didn't buy it. I usually plant LG in my herb garden, but I haven't preserved it. How do you freeze the fresh LG?

 

[CWS4322]

The store has black truffle oil as well...but there wasn't a price on it. The white truffle oil was pricey enough <g>. But, my client is in that area, so I suspect I'll be back there...

 

[Kevin Rayoni]

truffle oil and risotto is so good!

 

[jacky77]

i have a risotto fear i must conquer...maybe i'll try that combination this weekend!