butterisbetter

Is there anyone in the Chiang Mai municipal are who offers USA notorial services.It could be from any state or territory. As long as you have a valid notary seal. I know I can get this done at the consulate but they charge a lot and I figure maybe someone here can do this.

I'm guessing that what the oP is looking for is a herd of either Jersey or Guernsey cows. Their milk is particularly high in butterfat. I lived in Ireland in 1975-76 and back then, you paid a premium for Jersey milk. Don't know what the situation is now.

BASIC SPONGE CAKE

8oz Flour

8oz Castor Sugar

8oz Butter

4 eggs

2tsp baking powder

Vanilla Essence

Almond Essence

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix for about 10 minutes. Line cake tin with greaseproof paper. You can also put butter and flour if you have no greaseproof paper. Pour in the mixture and bake for approximately 1hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Don’t forget butter and eggs should be room temperature.

Hope this helps.

Actually, this is basically the traditionally recipe for making Victoria Sponge. In the UK, you would use self-raising flour which is flour and baking powder. Where self raising flour isn't available, you have to add the baking powder yourself.

where do they sell these locally made vodkas??

i've bought Nikki at Rim Ping supermarket in Chiang Mai.

Usually it's called "wheat gluten" not "gluten flour". I"m not being picayune here, but if you go asking for "gluten flour" you might just confuse the locals. In Chiang Mai I can get it at the baking supply houses and sometimes at Rimping supermarket. I'm assuming that Bangkok has its own baking supply houses and upscale supermarkets like Rimping that stock western baking supplies.

A friend of mine sent his Thai father-in-law to this chiropractor at Rajavet for a chronic knee problem. Says he was completely cured or at least is now asymptomatic. This chiropractor comes from the UK and is fluent in Thai.

I recently bought, for the first time, an inexpensive bottle of Jupiter Vodka...

I don't know "Jupiter Vodka". Normally I drink "Sugroboff Vodka", very good quality, though distilled in Thailand (by Russian expats). It is 40 degrees of volume alcohol, made of sugar cane. The retail price in Thailand is THB 249.- (750 millitres).

There is a really terrific vodka being made in Chiang Mai. It's called Nikki. I'm not sure about the cost but I think it can stand comparison with just about any vodka being made anywhere.

I'm pretty sure I saw it at Union Science lab and chemical supply store in Chiangmai. I believe the main store is in Bangkok.

Two days ago I scored some really nice French Brie, 'buy one get one free': total 400-something grams for 160 baht. ( I should have bought a lot more and chuck it in the freezer; it's actually cheaper even than the Mainland cheese.

I'm going to be bribing the staff to give me a call whenever they have that deal on with good cheeses..

Can you freeze cheese? I didn't know that. Talking Chedder type cheeses here.

It definitely changes the texture. Makes it more crumbly. If you're going to melt it, probably okay. But if you're going to eat it, probably not. Which, I guess, is why cheese isn't shipped frozen. If it worked, it would be widely practiced.

The cheese that the OP is referring to is definitely Dacheeso ricotta and cottage cheese and they are very good. These aren't aged cheeses so there's no bacteria or fungi devolping the flavor. Essentially these kind of cheese are just fresh curds curds. Each variety is processed slightly differently. And since they begin as high quality fresh milk, you end up with high quality fresh cheese.

I'm not sure if Rimping is still carrying these cheeses or not. I have seen some of them recently at the Nim City branch. I haven't seen Dacheeso milk at any Rimping for a long time. Which is a shame since it tastes very much like raw millk. I think that's due to low temperature pasteurization. Buttermilk is still available though. And this is the real thing. Not just cultured skim milk like you get in the USA. This is the liquid left over from churning butter which is then cultured into buttermilk.

Their phone number is 053-274-521. Closed on Sundays. The owner of Dacheeso also owns Art Cafe. They carry some Dacheeso products there as well.

And to the op, what is this gluten-free pancake mix made from? And which country is it from?

The ingredients in the mix are:

Rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder,sugar, salt, xanthan gum.

We make the mix ourselves here in Chiang Mai. The potato starch is from the Netherlands. Don't know if the xanthan gum is from Thailand or elsewhere. All the other ingredients are Thai. The amount of sugar in the mix is very small. The pancakes don't taste at all sweet. They also don't have any of that artificial vanilla flavor that is usually found in commercial pancake mixes. I don't like that flavor at all. But lots of people do.

What is the advantage of Gluten free bread and pancake mix?

Also does it no0t have a shorter shelf life?

For people who don't have a problem with digesting gluten, no advantage. For those who do, such as celiacs, plenty.

As for shelf life, there's nothing in the mix that would be any more degradable than whatever is in a wheat based pancake mix.

Butter is Better is now offering gluten-free pancake mix for sale at the Chang Klan store. Our daughter couldn't tell the difference between pancakes made with our gluten free mix and our regular pancake mix. The cost of a 400 gram container is 79 Baht. That's enough to make anywhere from 12-18 pancakes.An 800 gram container is 139 baht.

Also, you can order any of our sandwiches and have them made with gluten free bread at no extra charge.

OK...a bit off topic but still Puff Pastry oriented.

On Delia's website she gives a way to make puff pastry without all the folding and rolling usualy required.

Freeze your block of butter then grate it with a grater....mix in with the flour...add water and STIR gently.

Roll out and voila...puff pastry

That's what's usually called blitz puff pastry or some other synonym for "blitz" It's very good for puff pastry that itsn't going to be a lot of layers. You couldn't use it to make a millefeuille but for crusts it's excellent.

I am a little surprised that you said both nitrite and nitrate. Nitrates as you probably know are for slow dry cures not for cooked end product. I have used prague powder 1 which is just sodium nitrite. Yes, that is what makes it red and without it will turn out to be more like roast beef. You could possible cure for less time if you pump it. It is kind of a pain if you don't use brisket but it really aids in the cure.

I will give yours a try. I warn you though I am quite picky, but will give you the bennefit of the doubt and leave an open mind and a clean pallate. I am surprised that the reuben is almost double that of corned beef is it really that much more time consuming to make?

I make 2 kinds of corned beef: Traditional and leaner. For the traditional corned beef I use a traditional rich brisket.It packs a lot of flavor because it's full of brisket fat. Chefs often use brisket fat in meat dishes because it's so flavorful. But rich brisket costs more to start out with and loses a lot of the fat in the steaming. So it's going to cost more than leaner corned beef.

For the leaner corned beef I use a bottom round instead of a lean brisket. I tried lean brisket. It's very dry and because it has little fat, it also doesn't have a lot of flavor. Anyway, bottom round starts out cheaper and because it has less fat to lose in the steaming process, has a higher yield. It also has a surprisingly good flavor. Much moister than lean brisket. I do start out with good quality bottom round. Not local grass fed beef which I imagine would be super lean and not much fun to eat.

Still, I prefer the traditional corned beef (or pastrami) made with rich brisket. I imagine you would too.

As for nitrite vs. nitrate. Corned beef was traditionally made with potassium nitrate (saltpetre). Potassium nitrate (or sodium nitrate) are food for certain bacteria. They degrade it into potassium nitrite (or sodium nitrite). This is the stuff that does the actual preserving. But if the meat is kept at too cold a temperature, the bacteria are deactivated and no curing takes place. So I use the nitrates only as an insurance policy if the meat gets too warm in the refrigerator.

The other problem with nitrates is that if you fry food that is made with them, the nitrates turn into nitrosamines. Which are potent carcinogens. Occasionally I make corned beef hash. Which is fried. But I use corned beef that is cured with nitrites only. No nitrates.

do you use sodium nitrite (prague powder) or potasium (salt petre)?

I love a good corned beef but really try to stay away from salt petre cures which a lot of old timers still use.

I'm afraid I do use a combination of the sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate (instead of saltpetre aka potassium nitrate. the FDA in the USA outlaws the use of saltpetre because it's not as effective a bactericide as sodium nitrate). The reason I use these chemicals is that there is a small possibility of the botulism bacteria growing inside the meat. Although it is extremely unlikely given that the cure I use is slightly acidic. The botulism bacteria can't grow in an acidic environment. Furthermore, the botulism toxin can't survive high heat. Since the meat has to be steamed for at least 2 hours to tenderize it, the toxin wouldn't survive anyway.

Supposedly,the nitrite/nitrate compounds play an important role in the flavor of corned beef. I don't know since I've never eaten it without. It does keep the meat its characteristic red color. Without the nitrite and nitrate, it would turn brown.

As I write this, I seem to be talking myself into at least making a small experimental batch nitrate-and-nitrite-free corned beef and pastrami. I would also make myself the first guinea pig. If I do it with leaner beef, the cure would take about 10 days. I wonder if anyone is interested in this apart from you and me. I mean, no one is ever going to confuse corned beef and pastrami with health food. I don't think that even my ancestors suffered from that delusion. Still, I think it's worth trying.

Anyway, thanks for the comment. I'll let you know if I survive. So if you don't hear from me, feel free to suspect the worst.

Butter is Better Restaurant is now offering Sandwiches made with our Homemade Pastrami and our Homemade Corned Beef via Meals on Wheels. This is the same stuff that used to be at Mighty Moe's.

Prices start at 110 Baht for a Leaner Corned Beef on Rye up to 210 Baht for a Reuben Sandwich made with traditional (rich) Corned Beef or Pastrami.

Still no luck making a palatable celery tonic. But Ginger Ale is a good second choice and that we have.

Butter is Better Restaurant on Chang Klan Road will be open for Songkran. Our hours will be from 8:00 AM to 4 PM April 13-15. The other, unofficial Songkran days we will be open our regulars hours which are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The Orchard is closed permanently. A chance it will re-open under another name closer to CM.

That was fast! Some of these C.M. establishments have to be visited in the first month or two or there is a chance one will miss them. Guess I must have passed by on the last day or thereabouts. Wanted to stop but everyone was tired and dirty from playing at the waterfalls. Glad I made it in time to Mighty Moes - actually about 3 times - before they closed.

Mighty Moe's Pastrami and Corned Beef Reubens, as well as the various other pastrami and corned beef sandwiches are now available at Butter is Better. Where you can also enjoy the delicious air-conditioning. They will also be on offer through Meals on Wheels. But not the air-conditioning.

Does anyone know a good computer technician in Chiang Mai who's knowledgeable enough to bypass the password screen blocking my access to my computer? This is not something I want to do myself instead of employing a technician so please, no do-it-yourself advice.

Thanks

Comments about the relative lack of attractions in Thailand would make more sense if all of Thailand was suffering a loss of tourists. But, in fact, the rest of Thailand is doing well. The problem now in Chiangmai is the smog or smoke or haze or whatever you want to call it. As soon as reports of that hit the news, tourism to the North went into a precipitous decline.

Royal projects makes heaps of stuff from Buffalo shit ... err produce. Check em out.

They have yogurt. Haven't see milk there (CMU shop). Huay Kaew branch doesn't have any of the buffalo products.

Exactly. I checked there first. I've been buying their yoghurt for a couple of years. At one time they had an a poster/ad announcing buffalo mozzarella but it never materialized - probably snapped up in Bangkok at higher prices. Can't be a shortage of buffalo milk so it's curious that it's hard to come by.

Actually, I did buy their buffalo milk mozzarella in Chiang Mai but that was a while ago. Haven't seen it since. It was excellent. I thought it was superior to the buffalo milk mozzarella I've had from Italy. But that was probably because it was fresher. I've never been to Italy.

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

I did some more checking. It turns out that if a company claims it sells pure butter, it must pay a much higher tax on the product. Lately, the government has begun to enforce this rule. So if the company claim that it's only 37% butter, they pay less in taxes. We have been assured that the product is still really pure butter. It certainly behaves the way butter is supposed to. Still difficult to work with when you make pie crusts. I know that Allowrie also does sell a compound butter but it comes in a different looking package and it costs less.

I think this is also why you can't buy heavy cream in Thailand even though you can. Foremost used to list the fat content on its whipping cream. It said 35.5%. Which is half a percentage point lower than the official cutoff point for heavy cream. Again it's probably tax related. Although I don't know that for a fact.

Can you please tell me what Allowrie product you are buying that you have been assured is still butter? Is it the butter blend spread?

I have a box of Allowrie pure creamery butter and compound butter here. The packaging is exactly the same in terms of box size, fonts, font colour. The contents of the compound butter pack do not act like butter. It melts very easily, cake batters are lighter in colour and quite runny before baking compared with using real butter.

Thanks for your help.

I'll get back to you tomorrow. But none of our staff or my wife have noticed anything different. Allowrie used to sell a compound butter in a different colored box that was quite a bit cheaper than pure butter. This stuff is the same price as the pure butter was before. At any rate, I may try to contact aw maw also to see what is going on.

It's been so long since I made them, I can't remember. But my brain keeps insisting it was unsweetened. And the recipe I linked to earlier also calls for unsweetened white chocolate. You can buy it from amazon, so it definitely exists.

I wonder if I could use sweetened white chocolate and substitute a smaller amount of molasses for the dark brown sugar.

I went to a different Tesco today and was disappointed by their baking section. In fact I would go so far as to say they didn't have a baking section at all. Lots of imported ready-made cake and cookie mixes but hardly any base ingredients at all. I looked for the butterscotch sauce but they had toffee ice cream topping instead. I'm not sure how close the flavor of toffee is to butterscotch.

I went to Amazon and did see sugar free white chocolate. But that stuff is sweetened with either artificial sweeteners or maltitol. Maybe stevia, too, although I didn't see any.

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

I did some more checking. It turns out that if a company claims it sells pure butter, it must pay a much higher tax on the product. Lately, the government has begun to enforce this rule. So if the company claim that it's only 37% butter, they pay less in taxes. We have been assured that the product is still really pure butter. It certainly behaves the way butter is supposed to. Still difficult to work with when you make pie crusts. I know that Allowrie also does sell a compound butter but it comes in a different looking package and it costs less.

I think this is also why you can't buy heavy cream in Thailand even though you can. Foremost used to list the fat content on its whipping cream. It said 35.5%. Which is half a percentage point lower than the official cutoff point for heavy cream. Again it's probably tax related. Although I don't know that for a fact.