Q). I would like to buy a cast
iron “Dutch oven pot”, the kind with the wire handle. Would you know
where I might be able to buy one? I have another question for you. How
do you clean a cast iron grill without damaging it?
Thank you.
Naida Mercurio, Monterey
Via e-mailA). A traditional
Dutch oven is a thick-walled metal cooking pot with a tight-fitting
rimmed lid, so that coals from the fire could be placed on top as well
as below. This provided more uniform
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internal heat and let the inside act as an
oven. Used for quickly searing food and for long slow cooking, your
Dutch oven can be used on the stovetop and in the oven. Naida, I found
you a Dutch oven source right here in Monterey. Call Danny at Monterey
Bay Restaurant Equipment (831)
899-1422. As for cleaning a cast iron
grill, I assume you are talking about the Pisto stove top grill. First,
when you are going to cook with it, make sure it is good and hot over
medium-high for 10 minutes. Then lightly oil the surface and make sure
the food that you are putting on is well oiled to |
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prevent sticking. To clean, let it
cool then wash with a metal scrubber. Once it’s clean, lightly oil it
and place it in the oven or on the stovetop.
More About the Monterey Farmer’s Market – Make sure you ask for
the prices as they fluctuate like crazy. One guy is $4 per pound while
another is charging $2. Swiss chard – very small bunch for $2 and right
across the street, $1 a bunch for gigantic French chard. |
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Q). My birthday dessert for
many, many years was called Ice-box Cake. The recipe calls for raw egg
whites but due to the warnings against raw egg whites I've tried to use
whipped cream and vanilla flavor. I also tried a tip from a Southern
Living cookbook to beat egg whites and sugar in a double boiler to 160
degrees, then beat to stiff peaks. It looked like scrambled egg whites,
did not get quite to temperature and was obviously not going to work (I
was trying 1/4 cup sugar to 4 eggs whites). It is an unusual recipe and
I've never eaten it anywhere else: “Ice-box Cake” Combine in a double
boiler: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/2 c.
cocoa. Cook and stir until smooth, then add 4 beaten egg yolks, cooking
and stirring until thick. (This takes 20-30
minutes.) Next, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup water in a 2qt.
serving bowl. Stir the |
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chocolate mixture into the powdered sugar
mixture. Finally, beat 4 egg whites and fold in. Fold in small chunks of
Vienna Finger sandwich cookies and chill. I would LOVE to fix this
again! Can I adapt the recipe somehow to duplicate the wonderful taste
and texture of real egg whites? Via e-mail
A). I cannot honestly tell you how to eat raw egg whites or eggs for
that matter. Check to see where your eggs are coming from and see if
your area has any reports of salmonella. For a substitute, try Italian
meringue made by gradually pouring hot sugar syrup over stiffly beaten
egg whites, then beating constantly until the mixture is smooth. In order
for the sugar to dissolve completely (and therefore produce an
absolutely smooth meringue), it must be beaten into the whites a
tablespoon at a time. Soft meringue is baked only until the peaks are
nicely brown. |
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Fish Alert! – Found another great
fish market on the Peninsula. It’s the Asia-Pacific Market across from
the Ramada Inn, on Reservation Road in Marina, only on Thursdays at 9:00
am. Going to this place is an adventure – I felt like I was back in
Fiji. You will find fresh, flown-in fish from the South Seas packed in
Thai airline coolers – fresh as can be. I even took Jean Mercurio with
me to show him their unusual fish. There were (all whole fish) striped
bass, gray mullet, cuttlefish, China cod, real red snapper, orata,
head-on shrimp, a couple different kinds of mackerel, sardines, squid, 2
kinds of crab, fish heads and salmon bellies – very, very impressive.
Get there early because they sell out fast. This is also the place to
find all types of south pacific goods, fresh Asian vegetables and even
ready to eat snacks. Try the fresh lychees and the several different
varieties of bananas! Great place. |
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Q). Your article about green and sour
fruit reminded me of a speech given by Joe Carcione (the Green Grocer)
of San Francisco at a convention of fresh fruit and vegetable growers
years ago. He said that we are our own worst enemies by sending fruit to
market when green to “beat the market” for a few extra bucks. Some were
offended by his remarks. I walked back to our hotel with him and said,
“Joe, you called it the way it is.” It was years before I would buy
canta-loupes because the ones I’d get tasted
like pumpkins. My wife recently bought some peaches at Whole Foods in
Monterey that tasted like they just came off the tree – delicious.
That’s one thing about artichokes, they’re always green!
Regards, Gene Boggiatto |
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A). Spoken like a true consumer, Geno!
Folks, Gene is from a long line of artichoke growers in Castro-ville,
Ca. (artichoke capital of the world) and the Boggiatto family is
responsible for a lot of firsts in the produce business.
In the 1950s, they established the area’s first roadside produce stand
and Boggiatto Packing was the first to ship artichokes in corrugated
cartons instead of wood boxes. The company was also the first to ship
artichokes by air in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Boggiatto was the first to
effectively pre-cool artichokes before shipping.
www.boggiattoproduce.com |
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Fruit Alert! – Andy’s Orchard in
Morgan Hill, has got the best Rainier and Bing cherries I have ever
seen. Big juicy and sweet, you will probably get a bit of a stomach ache
from eating too much. Chocolate dipped giant fresh cherries and
picture-perfect cots. Call Andy’s Orchard (408) 782-7600 or check out
www.andysorchard.com for directions. He also does fruit tastings. Get
ready for the peaches, plums and cots. His variety of stone fruit is
amazing. Way to go Andy! |
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