What's your specialty?

[RockyBalboa]

Sorry, but I can't just let you post this with no follow up.

I demand a recipe.

If it were possible to catch an Angel or some other celestial being and slice open its veins, cheesecake would pour out all over the floor.

I don't have it with me here at work. I'll get it tonight if I can, but will be going straight to the hospital to be with a family member and won't get home until late.

It's been a loooooooooooooooooong past 10 days, so if I can get it to you by the end the night I will.

But please keep reminding me if I don't tonight and I promise I'll post it here and/or email to you.

[TripletDaddy]

I don't have it with me here at work. I'll get it tonight if I can, but will be going straight to the hospital to be with a family member and won't get home until late.

It's been a loooooooooooooooooong past 10 days, so if I can get it to you by the end the night I will.

But please keep reminding me if I don't tonight and I promise I'll post it here and/or email to you.

I retract my demands given that going to visit someone in the hospital is about a million times more important than feeding my cheesecake jones. hope everything is ok.

I will hit you up later for the recipe.

[TripletDaddy]

You aren't allowed to demand recipes until I get the hot and sour recipe.

Sorry dude. I will post it tonight when I get home. It isn't too difficult to prepare and it is always a hit on a nice cold day like today.

[CJF]

Sorry dude. I will post it tonight when I get home. It isn't too difficult to prepare and it is always a hit on a nice cold day like today.

Which is every day in Utah now.

[RobinFinderson]

I make a world famous grilled cheese sandwich.

[YardTime]

I make a world famous grilled cheese sandwich.

Without miracle whip, or mayo if that's your preference, it isn't a grilled cheese sandwich. And velveeta???

[TripletDaddy]

that is a sweet grilled cheese recipe...no real cheese in it.

Can I substitute cheese whiz for the velveeta?

[RobinFinderson]

YardTime and DDD are obviously cheese snobs. DDD's materialism is most evident in his response to my post. Would it have been acceptable had I spelled it out 'Cheez?' Velveeta has just as much right to use the 'Cheese' word as 'head cheese.' I rest my case.

And yes, you may substitute anything you like, but it will cease to be Finderson's World Famous. Mayo would be an acceptable addition, as it is only a condiment.

[il Padrino Ute]

I make a killer bowl of Corn Flakes.

[TripletDaddy]

You aren't allowed to demand recipes until I get the hot and sour recipe.

OK, so here it is. I was given this recipe by a roomate of a co-worker. The roommate worked at Tommy Toy's in San Francisco and he was able to pilfer the recipe for me. I have used this for the past 4 or 5 years and we enjoy it. This is not the "ultimate" recipe, it is a nice recipe that is very easy and very tasty. I am sure there are other H&S recipes that are very tasty. One thing I do not like about standard chinese take-out H&S...when there is too much cornstarch, the H&S feels very gooey, as opposed to brothy, like a soup. This recipe is light on the cornstarch, so you get broth, not goo.

Ingredients:

8 fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 oz tofu
1/2 cup sliced, drained bamboo shoots
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar...if not, normal sugar will do)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp salt (sea salt...yum!)
1 pinch of ground white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 tbsp cold water
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
2 scallions, cut into small rings...this will be used as garnish and for overall visual radness

Steps

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Cut the caps into thin strips. Get rid of the stalks.
2. Cut the tofu into small cubes.
3. Shred the bamboo shoots into small pieces (to taste...whatever size you want)
4. Place the stock, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots in a large pan. Bring the stock to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, salt, and pepper
6. Mix the cornstarch to a thin paste with the cold water. Add this mixture to the soup, stirring until it thickens slightly.
7. Lightly beat the egg white, then pour it slowly into the soup in a steady stream...always stirring. Don't stop stirring. This is the critical step. If you do it too fast, you get chunks of egg white. You want the egg whites to look like silky ribbons, like in a good egg flower soup. Continue cooking, stirring until the egg white changes color (it will become white and delightsome)
8. Add the sesame oil just before serving. Mix and stir.
9. Serve individually and garnish with the cut scallions.

A few notes:

1. This is a great starter soup for a larger meal or as a light snack on a cold day. If you are looking for a hearty stew to fill you up, this is not your soup.
2. A few twists that we have tried and enjoyed
-add very small bits of pre-cooked shredded chicken for taste...very delicious, although not sure how authentic that becomes. dont put in a lot, otherwise it starts becoming chicken stew. Also, pre-cook the chicken elsewhere, not in the soup itself. If you try to cook it in the soup, the soup gets that weird foam that results when you boil chicken. gross.
-if you don't dig mushrooms, leave them out. I wouldn't start throwing all kinds of vegetables in because this soup gets ready very quickly. Carrots and other veggies wont have enough time to cook and the consistency of the dish will be strange, juxtaposing the hot soup with the uncooked vegetables.
-even if you do not like tofu, leave it in and don't eat it. The tofu gives a nice flavoring to H&S soup. Without the tofu, it just doesn't taste the same
-experiment with the chili oil, as this is what puts the hot in the soup.
-experiment with different brands of vegetable stock. do not go cutesy with some sucka low-fat vegetable stock. You want a flavorful stock.

once you practice, you can fire up this soup from start to finish in 20 minutes.

[CJF]

OK, so here it is. I was given this recipe by a roomate of a co-worker. The roommate worked at Tommy Toy's in San Francisco and he was able to pilfer the recipe for me. I have used this for the past 4 or 5 years and we enjoy it. This is not the "ultimate" recipe, it is a nice recipe that is very easy and very tasty. I am sure there are other H&S recipes that are very tasty. One thing I do not like about standard chinese take-out H&S...when there is too much cornstarch, the H&S feels very gooey, as opposed to brothy, like a soup. This recipe is light on the cornstarch, so you get broth, not goo.

Ingredients:

8 fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 oz tofu
1/2 cup sliced, drained bamboo shoots
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar...if not, normal sugar will do)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp salt (sea salt...yum!)
1 pinch of ground white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 tbsp cold water
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
2 scallions, cut into small rings...this will be used as garnish and for overall visual radness

Steps

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Cut the caps into thin strips. Get rid of the stalks.
2. Cut the tofu into small cubes.
3. Shred the bamboo shoots into small pieces (to taste...whatever size you want)
4. Place the stock, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots in a large pan. Bring the stock to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, salt, and pepper
6. Mix the cornstarch to a thin paste with the cold water. Add this mixture to the soup, stirring until it thickens slightly.
7. Lightly beat the egg white, then pour it slowly into the soup in a steady stream...always stirring. Don't stop stirring. This is the critical step. If you do it too fast, you get chunks of egg white. You want the egg whites to look like silky ribbons, like in a good egg flower soup. Continue cooking, stirring until the egg white changes color (it will become white and delightsome)
8. Add the sesame oil just before serving. Mix and stir.
9. Serve individually and garnish with the cut scallions.

A few notes:

1. This is a great starter soup for a larger meal or as a light snack on a cold day. If you are looking for a hearty stew to fill you up, this is not your soup.
2. A few twists that we have tried and enjoyed
-add very small bits of pre-cooked shredded chicken for taste...very delicious, although not sure how authentic that becomes. dont put in a lot, otherwise it starts becoming chicken stew. Also, pre-cook the chicken elsewhere, not in the soup itself. If you try to cook it in the soup, the soup gets that weird foam that results when you boil chicken. gross.
-if you don't dig mushrooms, leave them out. I wouldn't start throwing all kinds of vegetables in because this soup gets ready very quickly. Carrots and other veggies wont have enough time to cook and the consistency of the dish will be strange, juxtaposing the hot soup with the uncooked vegetables.
-even if you do not like tofu, leave it in and don't eat it. The tofu gives a nice flavoring to H&S soup. Without the tofu, it just doesn't taste the same
-experiment with the chili oil, as this is what puts the hot in the soup.
-experiment with different brands of vegetable stock. do not go cutesy with some sucka low-fat vegetable stock. You want a flavorful stock.

once you practice, you can fire up this soup from start to finish in 20 minutes.

Thank you. I hate mushrooms but my wife loves them so I'd leave them in. We'll make this when we get back from Vegas.

[ERCougar]

OK, so here it is. I was given this recipe by a roomate of a co-worker. The roommate worked at Tommy Toy's in San Francisco and he was able to pilfer the recipe for me. I have used this for the past 4 or 5 years and we enjoy it. This is not the "ultimate" recipe, it is a nice recipe that is very easy and very tasty. I am sure there are other H&S recipes that are very tasty. One thing I do not like about standard chinese take-out H&S...when there is too much cornstarch, the H&S feels very gooey, as opposed to brothy, like a soup. This recipe is light on the cornstarch, so you get broth, not goo.

Ingredients:

8 fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 oz tofu
1/2 cup sliced, drained bamboo shoots
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar...if not, normal sugar will do)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp salt (sea salt...yum!)
1 pinch of ground white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1 tbsp cold water
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
2 scallions, cut into small rings...this will be used as garnish and for overall visual radness

Steps

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Cut the caps into thin strips. Get rid of the stalks.
2. Cut the tofu into small cubes.
3. Shred the bamboo shoots into small pieces (to taste...whatever size you want)
4. Place the stock, mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots in a large pan. Bring the stock to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, salt, and pepper
6. Mix the cornstarch to a thin paste with the cold water. Add this mixture to the soup, stirring until it thickens slightly.
7. Lightly beat the egg white, then pour it slowly into the soup in a steady stream...always stirring. Don't stop stirring. This is the critical step. If you do it too fast, you get chunks of egg white. You want the egg whites to look like silky ribbons, like in a good egg flower soup. Continue cooking, stirring until the egg white changes color (it will become white and delightsome)
8. Add the sesame oil just before serving. Mix and stir.
9. Serve individually and garnish with the cut scallions.

A few notes:

1. This is a great starter soup for a larger meal or as a light snack on a cold day. If you are looking for a hearty stew to fill you up, this is not your soup.
2. A few twists that we have tried and enjoyed
-add very small bits of pre-cooked shredded chicken for taste...very delicious, although not sure how authentic that becomes. dont put in a lot, otherwise it starts becoming chicken stew. Also, pre-cook the chicken elsewhere, not in the soup itself. If you try to cook it in the soup, the soup gets that weird foam that results when you boil chicken. gross.
-if you don't dig mushrooms, leave them out. I wouldn't start throwing all kinds of vegetables in because this soup gets ready very quickly. Carrots and other veggies wont have enough time to cook and the consistency of the dish will be strange, juxtaposing the hot soup with the uncooked vegetables.
-even if you do not like tofu, leave it in and don't eat it. The tofu gives a nice flavoring to H&S soup. Without the tofu, it just doesn't taste the same
-experiment with the chili oil, as this is what puts the hot in the soup.
-experiment with different brands of vegetable stock. do not go cutesy with some sucka low-fat vegetable stock. You want a flavorful stock.

once you practice, you can fire up this soup from start to finish in 20 minutes.

Just made this for lunch. Good recipe and super-easy. I'm not a super spicy person, but this one's pretty mild, so I added a little extra chili oil and rice vinegar. Also, like he said, pay attention to the vegetable stock--I had this vegan, fat-free thing that I wouldn't use again.

What brand of stock (easily available in rural southern utah) would you recommend?

[MarkGrace]

I was walking around town the other day and stumbled into the truffle shop at the market. Seeing the line of fine oils, I started thinking to myself how great the grilled cheeses I make at home would be with just a little truffle oil. I reached for the small bottle of oil in hopes of transforming my simple sourdough and cheese experience from being merely delicious to the extraordinary; but just then, I realized how poor I was. Alas, the truffle oil grilled cheese will have to wait.

My other favorite grilled cheese is brie and green apples -- a great sandwich. And in both cases, I never use butter on the outside, always opting for spraying on olive oil. I don't know, something about the butter just makes everything feel a bit too greasy.

[Coach McGuirk]

I don't think there's anything too special about it, but it has taken me a few years to get it to where I want it to be. Here's an approximation of how I make it:

1/2 stick butter
1 t flour
Small carton of heavy cream or whipping cream (I'm not sure the size. It's smaller than the size of milk we'd get in elementary school, though)
5 oz shredded parmesan (NOT grated parmesan... get a 5 oz. wedge and shred it yourself or get a 5 oz "cup" of pre-shredded)

Make a simple roux by melting the butter in a pan over Medium-High heat and letting it simmer for a moment, then adding the flour and stirring it in until it's dissolved. Let the roux simmer until it's a light brown (30-45 seconds). Add the cream and mix it in. Let it simmer for about 90 seconds or so, only stirring every 30 seconds or so. You don't want to burn it, but you want it to thicken. So stay in control.

When it's thickened a tad, throw in the cheese, leaving maybe 10% of it to be sprinkled on at serving time. Stir in the cheese and let it melt in for about 30 seconds. Serve over pasta with chicken, broccoli, asparagus, anything you want, really. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

That's it. Really simple. No challenge, but so tasty. REALLY cheesy and buttery. No need to salt it, btw, because the parmesan is salty enough. Some variations would be to use pecorino or asiago instead of parmiggiano.

Tim

We are giving this a shot tonight, I will let you know how it goes.

[MarkGrace]

Sorry, but I can't just let you post this with no follow up.

I demand a recipe.

If it were possible to catch an Angel or some other celestial being and slice open its veins, cheesecake would pour out all over the floor.

Funny, I pictured you more as a chocolate guy.