I happen to love avocados and have eaten hundreds of them over my lifetime. Sometimes, I find them a bit messy to prep, especially if they are on the over ripe side.
The avocado slicer works just as you would suspect (see photo below) and it yields perfect, little avocado slices to be used immediately or further chopped. In researching this post, I found some avocado slicers also have pit removers but I have always zipped the pit out with my French knife, a trick I learned in my intro to culinary arts class.
Beautiful slices of avocado ready to be placed onto a salad or into a sandwich.
Chow’s quick video on how to pit an avocado using a French knife:
Give the gift of a flavor trip this holiday season with Frooties! This is a great activity for the whole family. Watch everyone eat lemons, limes and grapefruits with gusto!
Is it just us or did the holidays arrive very quickly this year? Here’s a few more ideas for that special flavorista on your list:
For those flavoristas who would like to make their own salad dressings, this gadget makes it easy. Measurements for 3 dressings are right on the bottle. The Emulstir by Chef N.
My friends at Savory Spice have these wonderful stocking stuffer spice blends. These are not on their website so you will have to call the store directly. They also have gift cards.
These marble butter bells keep your butter at the perfect temperature and texture for spreading. I like these marble ones as they stay cooler and are very durable.
The butter boats are great because you don’t have to cram the butter into the holder, the stick just drops right in.
To say I am pragmatic about kitchen purchases is an understatement. My working kitchen has limited space so when it comes to new equipment and gadgets, I ponder, ponder and ponder just a bit more before I finally commit to a purchase.
I had been secretly lusting after a Le Creuset pot for years - just how many years? I don’t know, but I did not need a new pot and sheesh the price tag - would it be worth it? Was Le Creuset really the Holy Grail of the culinary world?
Last January with a holiday bonus in hand, I invested in a Le Creuset (kiwi green) 5 1/2-quart dutch oven. I can tell you, Y-E-S, it was worth every penny. As you can see from the drain pan, in one year’s time I have invested in two more pots (a small saucepan and a larger saucepan).
I LOVE these pots: Love how they look, love how they cook and love how they feel. I am quite surprised with how strongly I feel about my Le Creuset pots. Everything looks pretty in these pots because the interior is a creamy white. Admittedly, when I brought the green pot home, I didn’t know if I could deal with the hand washing and I did not know how I would feel about the temperature adjustments at my stove. These pots came with rules…
As a recipe writer and a cook, I value the benefit of cooking in a well-seasoned cast iron pan (Barr often recommends heavy, cast iron) but whenever I cook with one at someone else’s home, I am always worried that I am going to wreck their pan, wash it the wrong way etc, etc…
Neurotic? Yes, I know. But people feel very strongly about their cast iron pans, especially perfectly seasoned ones. Seriously, it is rumored that people in the south pass along their cast iron cornbread pans in their wills. If you are not the favorite daughter, your cornbread would be doomed for all of eternity.
Back to Le Creuset and its rules: First, cook at a lower heat than you might think (unless boiling water for pasta). If you are an instinctive cook, you will recognize this as you use the pots. Second, avoid using metal cooking utensils. These pots are enameled cast iron and very sturdy. After almost a year of use, I have determined that a Le Creuset pot would be tough to wreck
There are other brands of enameled cast iron, but my vote is to go with the original. I perused the other brands and was unimpressed with their "Made in China" origins. I admit it, I like the romance of "Made in France," as they have been made for 125 years.
Online shopping for Le Creuset can be very daunting. I picked up all of my pots at the Le Creuset outlest in Kittery, Maine. I highly recommend locating an outlet for your purchase and signing up for the outlet’s mailing list (coupons, my friends coupons). The ladies who work at the Kittery outlet were exceptionally helpful and patient with me as I picked up pot after pot and pondered and pondered.
Over the summer, flavorista Kitty gave me a rolling pin to test drive. It was similar to my favorite rolling pin from Italy only much fancier. The rolling pin was made by Peter Turner, a nationally recognized furniture maker who happens to live in South Portland.
Each 18-inch rolling pin is made out of Maine maple with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches. Hand turned on a lathe, finished with walnut oil and tavern green milk paint, these rolling pins work equally well on pie, cookie and bread dough. Please note that anyone with nut allergies can have the rolling pin finished with mineral oil instead of walnut oil.
The weight and length of the rolling pin is really appealing and effective. The length allowed me to easily roll out a larger sheet of dough for cut cookies and for biscuits. The feel is a little bit different than a traditional handled rolling pin but I find this design gives you much more control over the dough that you are trying to roll out.
To order a rolling pin, you can contact Peter via e-mail - petersturner@hotmail.com or on the phone (207-799-5503). He accepts both checks and credit cards. The price is $32 plus $5 - $10 shipping depending on where you live. What a perfect holiday gift for the baking-inclined flavorista on your list.
Entertaining sometime soon? Pork shoulder is a cinch with a pressure cooker.
Most of the prep and cooking should be done the night before but even early morning on the day of your party will make it easier for you to enjoy your guests. Another advantage to cooking it the day before is that you can refrigerate the sauce and pork which will solidify the fat. This makes it very easy to skim the fat before reheating it for the party.
Being very meaty in flavor, pork shoulder is great paired with some fruit. I served this with grano and green bean almondine. It was perfect for a cold fall night. If you are curious and want to learn more, accomplished cookbook author Victoria Wise wrote a very handy book entitled The Pressure Cooker Gourmet.
Citrus Pork Shoulder Under Pressure
Serves 6
2 lbs bone in pork shoulder
1 Tbsp. cumin, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice with zest from one orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 bay leaves
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes or 1 (16-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp.-1 Tbsp. Spanish paprika, spicy works well too
sea salt, to taste
Begin by braising the pork shoulder. Pour the oil into the bottom of the heated pressure cooker. Season the pork shoulder liberally with salt and pepper. It works best to start with a pork shoulder at room temperature. Sear the shoulder in the oil and brown on all sides. Remove from pan.
Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft. If the pan is dry add the stock to moisten. Now add the spices, bay leaf and the orange & lime juices. Snuggle the pork shoulder down into the onions. Add the fruits and garlic. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and bring up to pressure.
Once you start hearing the steady hiss, lower the heat to medium and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to release it’s one pressure for about 30 minutes. Now you can release the remaining pressure. Take off the lid and let cool completely.
To reheat for dinner remove the meat from the sauce. Using an immersion blender or your food processor or blender, puree the pan juices. Slice up the meat into portion sizes and place on to a nice oven proof casserole. Pour a bit of stock or water into the pan and heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Heat your sauce and adjust the seasonings. Enjoy!
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