On 05/04/2012 2:27 PM, George M. Middius wrote:
> I got a pouch of candied ginger from TJ today. It's "Not
> Crystallized". It is fully cooked and sweetened. Also fairly fresh and
> the price is good -- 1.50 for 8 oz.

That is a pretty good price, $3/lb is one quarter of the best price, and
less than 1;5 what I had been paying before I realized I can make it for
about less than $1.50 /lb.




> The big bargain was a 16 oz package of nova for $14. Now I gotta get
> some bagels.

Nova lox is another thing you might try making yourself. It easy enough
to do. Just mix equal parts of kosher salt and brown sugar and prepare a
(separate) saturated salt solution which is then allowed to cool for use
later. Smear the top and bottom of the salmon fillets with the salt and
sugar mixture and lay them in a nonreactive pan, cover it with plastic
wrap (or you can wrap the salted fish in plastic wrap....


Let it sit for 12 hours, during which time the slat and sugar mixture
will draw out the moisture from the fillets. Rinse them off and then
place them in the brine for another 12 hours. Dump the brine and the
then put the container of fillets under a light stream of tap water to
rinse off the excess salt. Start slicing off bits to taste after about
half an hour and when it is no longer too salty, pat them dry and brush
with a mixture of brown sugar and booze (rum, whisky, vodka....) letting
each coating dry until there is a patina. At that point, you you can
cold smoke it (no more than 110F) or not smoke it at all. It's done.