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Friends who are British ex pats are looking for: gherkins and cordial (orange) but I am of no help. Suggestions on where to buy in Virginia or nearby? Thx!

I don't know if these things are stocked here, but Pure Pasty in Vienna sells hard to find British specialties. I'm sure you can call non-lunch rush and ask. It's closed on Monday, BTW.

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I'm roasting a small chicken tonight for dinner...I like to eat the legs and wings and save the breast meat for chicken salad...but when I roast chicken, the skin on the breast gets crispy but the skin on the legs and wings is more flabby. I've tried elevating the chicken on sliced onions with some decent results, but that runs counter to the theory behind Keller's simple roast chicken that dry, high heat produces a crispy skin.

What's the best way to get the skin on the legs/wings crispy? Spatchcock? Starting it breast-side down?

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I'm roasting a small chicken tonight for dinner...I like to eat the legs and wings and save the breast meat for chicken salad...but when I roast chicken, the skin on the breast gets crispy but the skin on the legs and wings is more flabby. I've tried elevating the chicken on sliced onions with some decent results, but that runs counter to the theory behind Keller's simple roast chicken that dry, high heat produces a crispy skin.

What's the best way to get the skin on the legs/wings crispy? Spatchcock? Starting it breast-side down?

You need airflow under the bird so don't set the chicken on the bottom of a pan or veggies. Set it on a rack of some sort, I use the one from my toaster oven to great success. Oh and make sure that the bird is dry. If you can let it sit unwrapped in your fridge overnight. That should give you some crisp skin.

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Have roasting racks become declasse? :D I've seen racks eschewed in favor of roasting on veggies, which become soft and soggy, disallowing good airflow beneath the bird. I have a cheap, adjustable and folding ss rack and I love it. In lieu of a rack, I'd spatchock, which gets the legs nice and brown.

My rack is this one, except ss, not non stick (my previous non stick was tossed when the coating started to peel off B) )

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America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country has been promoting the idea of using baking soda rubbed on the chicken's skin to promote crisping. I haven't tried it, but a friend has, and he plans to make it again tonight.

When I roast on top of veg, I use just a few widely spaced carrots or potato wedges to elevate the bird above the bottom of the pan, not a solid bed of veg. So I still get air circulating underneath. And I turn the bird over partway through the cooking time.

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What's the best way to get the skin on the legs/wings crispy? Spatchcock? Starting it breast-side down?

Spatchcock the chicken and place skin side down in a cast-iron skillet and set under the broiler for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, adjust the rack for roasting, set the temperature to 450F. Turn the chicken skin side up. Rub plenty of butter all over the skin. Sprinkle liberal amounts of salt and freshly ground pepper all over the skin. Put back in the oven and let roast for about 20 minutes. Baste with the fat in the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes. A small chicken should now be done, and have crisp skin on every part of it. Remove to a platter or cutting board. Pour off most of the fat in the pan, then deglaze. I usually use vermouth for this, but chicken stock would obviously be good too. Reduce to a syrup. Enjoy.
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Spatchcock the chicken and place skin side down in a cast-iron skillet and set under the broiler for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, adjust the rack for roasting, set the temperature to 450F. Turn the chicken skin side up. Rub plenty of butter all over the skin. Sprinkle liberal amounts of salt and freshly ground pepper all over the skin. Put back in the oven and let roast for about 20 minutes. Baste with the fat in the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes. A small chicken should now be done, and have crisp skin on every part of it. Remove to a platter or cutting board. Pour off most of the fat in the pan, then deglaze. I usually use vermouth for this, but chicken stock would obviously be good too. Reduce to a syrup. Enjoy.

Do you preheat the cast iron pan before placing it under the broiler skin side down?

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America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country has been promoting the idea of using baking soda rubbed on the chicken's skin to promote crisping. I haven't tried it, but a friend has, and he plans to make it again tonight.

When I roast on top of veg, I use just a few widely spaced carrots or potato wedges to elevate the bird above the bottom of the pan, not a solid bed of veg. So I still get air circulating underneath. And I turn the bird over partway through the cooking time.

My veg get soft because while I start the onions, celery, carrots etc in a dry roasting pan under the chicken, I begin to add stock after 20 min to build the gravy.

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You ALL are awesome and wonderful!!

(Although the strangest find this weekend were McVitties digestives on steroids in Maxim's in Rockville and in Chinese. Hiliarious.)

argh. I looked for this thread yesterday and couldn't find it. Queen Vic is opening on H St. that is going to sell a wide variety of British treats.
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Do you preheat the cast iron pan before placing it under the broiler skin side down?

No. I suppose a shallow roasting pan would work too, but the chicken I roast this way in a big and ancient Griswold skillet always comes out so well I'm not tempted to alter the formula.
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Spatchcock the chicken and place skin side down in a cast-iron skillet and set under the broiler for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, adjust the rack for roasting, set the temperature to 450F. Turn the chicken skin side up. Rub plenty of butter all over the skin. Sprinkle liberal amounts of salt and freshly ground pepper all over the skin. Put back in the oven and let roast for about 20 minutes. Baste with the fat in the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes. A small chicken should now be done, and have crisp skin on every part of it. Remove to a platter or cutting board. Pour off most of the fat in the pan, then deglaze. I usually use vermouth for this, but chicken stock would obviously be good too. Reduce to a syrup. Enjoy.

Thanks all for the tips. I followed these instructions exactly as written and the chicken was terrific - really the best roasted chicken I've ever made. Spatchcocking(!) and carving was easy with kitchen shears. The legs were nice and crispy brown, but the breast meat was also much more moist than my typical roast bird. I'll be using this recipe again, that's for sure.

I attached a picture...not as beautiful as monavano's food porn pics, but it'll have to do!

In reply to Zora: I've tried using baking soda and salt in making chicken wings before to great effect...the skin got crispy almost like they were fried.

post-4776-0-25328700-1301965682_thumb.jp

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It is quarter to one in the morning. There is a crazy mocking bird outside imitating blue jays, gym whistles, sweet if shrill song birds, etc. I want to know what do they taste like and what wine to go with?

I just stopped working at 1:30, so I feel your pain. It's going to be a bit gamey, so think of it like a blue fish or sorts and treat it accordingly. Serve it with bacon (which is needed here,despite bacon's clear overuse) and sauteed greens (which, because it's poultry, means you sould avoid the stronger ones),

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No pics. I could have done a better job scoring the skin but I have a good amount of duck fat to cook with now. The duck itself didn't have a ton of meat but it was tasty.

Can I make stock from duck bones? I saved them just in case.

Thanks for the advise.

The bones are great for enriching sauce. You can use it for stock but it would be very "ducky" tasting.

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

The green pepper is wrinkling already too. Help!

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

The green pepper is wrinkling already too. Help!

Do you have any Italian sausage? With marinara, that would make a great sandwich or pasta toss

Beef broth: CI recs are Rachel Ray and College Inn,

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

The green pepper is wrinkling already too. Help!

You can always go old school rustic French and just use water to make the soup. Makes a really good soup if you slowly caramelize the onions and all you need to add is salt and possibly some thyme.

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

Second the recs on the brands of pre-made beef broth; have also seen on ATK that they recommend using about 3 parts chicken broth to 1 part canned beef broth for a better flavor outcome. Straight canned beef broth has an off-putting flavor (so they say....I follow their recs).

For the wilting bell pepper, dice it and sautee it in a little olive oil, then freeze it in a baggie to add a flavor shot in another dish somewhere down the line.

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

You're going to need more than 2.5 onions to make enough onion soup to share. They cook way down--if you caramelize those 2.5 onions, you'll end up with only a couple tablespoons worth, that's all. To make a decent size pot of onion soup, you'll need about 5 pounds of onions.

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Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

You can always go old school rustic French and just use water to make the soup. Makes a really good soup if you slowly caramelize the onions and all you need to add is salt and possibly some thyme.

Michel Richard has a recipe for miso stock that he uses in his French Onion soup (in "Happy in the Kitchen"). It works well. I don't see the recipe online and I forget exactly what else is in it, but maybe just add some white miso in with the water for some extra backbone.

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Michel Richard has a recipe for miso stock that he uses in his French Onion soup (in "Happy in the Kitchen"). It works well. I don't see the recipe online and I forget exactly what else is in it, but maybe just add some white miso in with the water for some extra backbone.

Miso broth recipe.

Tri-Continental Onion Soup recipe, page 82.

Regarding off-the-shelf beef stocks, I watched a America's Test Kitchen last Saturday and they said most beef stocks are garbage, compared to the chicken stocks which aren't bad.

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I watched Jacques Pepin make French Onion Soup on one of his cooking shows and he used chicken stock because "the most important part is the onions, not the stock." IIRC.

I agree with this and argued this to a colleague (I didn't invoke Jacque Pepin though). Still, I think he's commenting on variety of stock, not quality of stock? I don't think he'd argue that using a trashy stock wouldn't make a difference in the recipe?

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I have a bag of OO Italian flour that I don't want to waste. Now that I've found it, I only want to use it in the best way. Do any of you Donrockwellians have a great recipe for using OO flour. I'm thinking pizza more than pasta, but I'm open.

Thanks.

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I have a bag of OO Italian flour that I don't want to waste. Now that I've found it, I only want to use it in the best way. Do any of you Donrockwellians have a great recipe for using OO flour. I'm thinking pizza more than pasta, but I'm open.

Thanks.

I'd make pizza dough and store individual doughs wrapped in the freezer. Takes no time to defrost so you can make homemade pizza anytime!

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I agree with this and argued this to a colleague (I didn't invoke Jacque Pepin though). Still, I think he's commenting on variety of stock, not quality of stock? I don't think he'd argue that using a trashy stock wouldn't make a difference in the recipe?

My French Onion Soup is inspired by WS Best of Taste, and it uses both chicken and beef stock. The recipe also can't decide on what booze to use, so it takes vermouth, white wine and dry sherry B).

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Friends who are British ex pats are looking for: gherkins and cordial (orange) but I am of no help. Suggestions on where to buy in Virginia or nearby? Thx!

I don't know if your friends are still looking, but they ought to check out the wonderfully named store "Classic Cigars and British Goodies" in the Clarendon section of Arlington.

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If I were to make dough for scones tonight, would it be okay, raw, in my fridge, until I bake them at an ungodly early hour Friday morning for a party whose theme I'm not willing to admit to? B)

The scone recipe I use is heavy on the leveners and I always like to mix them and bake right away for maximum rise. I might be wrong, but I always think things will go flat if I don't bake them right as the chemical reaction is happening. Another solution might be to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and mix at the last minute or bake/freeze and pop them in the oven before serving.

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If I were to make dough for scones tonight, would it be okay, raw, in my fridge, until I bake them at an ungodly early hour Friday morning for a party whose theme I'm not willing to admit to? B)

You can easily make the dough and cut the scones and then freeze them. They can be baked right from frozen with no problems, just a longer baking time.

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If I were to make dough for scones tonight, would it be okay, raw, in my fridge, until I bake them at an ungodly early hour Friday morning for a party whose theme I'm not willing to admit to? B)

Thanks for the advice! I decided to put off making the dough until last night, and I cut them and left them out on the counter for a couple of hours before putting them in the fridge for my all-too-brief five-hour sleep. Baked them from the fridge, and they turned out delicious--very light and crumbly and moist. Lighter and moister, in fact, than almost any scone I've ever had. I [heart] Ina Garten. (I altered the recipe slightly to be blueberry and lemon, rather than cranberry and orange, and mixed it in the food processor as suggested in one of the comments since I don't have a KitchenAid.)

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I am going to have to really reign myself in. Every time I bake I think to myself this recipe would be so much better if... and there is always some sort of baked product that turns out awful as a result. This past weekend it was rice crispy treats- I know, I know, you shouldn't be able to screw these up.

As a backstory, I didn't realize that no one else I was with this past weekend had ever made rice crispy treats, I figured they understood the process. So I asked if they thought it would screw up the recipe if I added strawberries, as we had a ton of fresh strawberries to eat that we could dice up small. The answer to this question is YES, but no one said that, they all said that is a great idea. However, it is not. The strawberries have too much moisture they cause the puffed rice to disintegrate. You can't bake them or the marshmallow will melt and not hold them together. They won't harden right. Just bad idea, dried strawberries would be fine, real ones NO. And now this is a pattern- anytime I try to tweak a baking recipe it goes horribly wrong. And I don't know why I have not learned my lesson in the past. But it is one of those things that I just never learn, but I am going to try.

I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes...

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I am going to have to really reign myself in. Every time I bake I think to myself this recipe would be so much better if... and there is always some sort of baked product that turns out awful as a result. This past weekend it was rice crispy treats- I know, I know, you shouldn't be able to screw these up.

As a backstory, I didn't realize that no one else I was with this past weekend had ever made rice crispy treats, I figured they understood the process. So I asked if they thought it would screw up the recipe if I added strawberries, as we had a ton of fresh strawberries to eat that we could dice up small. The answer to this question is YES, but no one said that, they all said that is a great idea. However, it is not. The strawberries have too much moisture they cause the puffed rice to disintegrate. You can't bake them or the marshmallow will melt and not hold them together. They won't harden right. Just bad idea, dried strawberries would be fine, real ones NO. And now this is a pattern- anytime I try to tweak a baking recipe it goes horribly wrong. And I don't know why I have not learned my lesson in the past. But it is one of those things that I just never learn, but I am going to try.

I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes...

You shouldn't go to that extreme. You still have plenty of tweaking opportunities by changing the flavorings (spices, herbs, etc.), dried fruit and nut components, not to mention frostings and fillings. B) One of the main things to worry about when baking, as you found out, is the amount of liquid (water) a new ingredient may add or take a way from a recipe. Try and think what it may do to the overall product. I am not sure how much baking you do, but the more you bake the more you will recognize if the batter is too thick/thin and make the appropriate adjustment.

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I am not sure how much baking you do, but the more you bake the more you will recognize if the batter is too thick/thin and make the appropriate adjustment.

This is my main problem, I used to bake all the time, I grew up with a mom and family that baked all the time, not to mention my Nanny. But now I don't do it as often and have gotten out of practice, but even as a child I was notorious for screwing up certain baked goods. I messed up pumpkin rolls for Thanksgiving 5 years in a row. I cook all the time, but I just need to practice my baking and attention to detail. And I am a great pie maker... but breads, cakes and cookies are my weak point. My Hubby would love it if I made that stuff more often B)

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I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes, I am not going to "tweak" baking recipes...

I generally stick pretty close to the recipe when baking but not always. When I get an idea for altering a recipe or combining ingredients and don't know if it will work, I'll usually google the keywords and see if in fact there are recipes that combine those ingredients I'm not sure will go together and also see how they are used. For instance, googling "strawberry rice krispie treats" brings up multiple recipes, but they all seem to use either strawberry marshmallows or strawberry jam. One of the sites also had this: How Not To Make Rice Krispies Treats

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I bought some amazing beets at the market this weekend with beautiful leaves. The latter will be braised with Vidaila onions and thyme. I have a little feta cheese and mozzarella, so plan is to make empanadas. Come to think of it, there's some ground bison in the freezer too and tomato sauce.

So, having never made empanadas before, I am wondering if experienced bakers (ain't gonna deep-fry) have opinions about the following recipe. I'm curious about the sweet/savory biz and delighted to see it calls only for yolks since--Chris, you reading this?--I finally will be getting around to making coconut macaroons: M. B."s masa.

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The only freezer approach I can think of is freezer jam, which you've got covered. I've got a spinach strawberry salad recipe I can send you if you like. It uses 12 oz. of strawberries. I can't recall if I've made it, but someone made it for an event years ago and it was quite delicious.

There's always chocolate covered strawberries, though you'd have to eat them pretty quickly in this heat B).

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A few years ago I was in that wonderful predicament. I pureed them all and froze the puree in ice cube trays then bagged. I used them in the winter for strawberry vinaigrettes and strawberry cakes etc.

Do you think the Rockville market will have strawberries again? I still haven't made my strawberry jam this summer, and I'm afraid I missed my time frame. I was going to pick them at Butlers but I might have missed them?

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