Gifted Gourmet

Here you will find the collection of digests for a number of media which are located in the Southeastern states. This week's Southeast Forum Digest includes, in alphabetical order, by city . . . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has two highly interesting articles on, of all things, beans! AJC article related to this on beans and legumes Recipes include: Cuban Black Bean Soup With Sofrito and Smoked Turkey Tuscan-style Beans With Rosemary Black-Eyed Pea Hummus Chickpea and Eggplant Moussaka With Goat Cheese Topping Red Beans and Rice With Turkey Kielbasa Atlanta Creative Loafing offers readers a number of excellent articles, including two by Bill Addison: * Passage to Peru The Amazon offers a refreshing South American alternative along Roswell Road's chain-riddled corridor BY BILL ADDISON Within the constraints of only being able to quote a brief amount of Addison's text, I encourage you to read more of this article ...* Vietnam Vet A first visit to RiceSticks, plus a return trip to Nam BY CLIFF BOSTOCK * Slices in the 'hood Liro's dishes out the pie and delivers, too BY CYNTHIA WONG * Mouthful Vegetarian Indian * Chef's Table It pays to be green * I dream of genie soup BY KIM O'DONNEL * Food Book Review True Grits BY BILL ADDISON more on the book and Bill Neal here * Choose your new weapon Alternatives to Chardonnay and Cabernet BY TAYLOR EASON * Fertile Crescent Who knew? There's more to Vickery's than fabulous cocktails BY FLORENCE BYRD * Sake it to me, baby BY TONY WARE The Charleston Post & Courier has two separate articles which complement each other, namely one on scones and clotted cream and the other, tea. Quite an interesting article for Charleston residents as well as anyone interested in the new wave of teas sweeping the country ... The Charlotte Observer has an article I have enjoyed immensely: Perfect couples: Chemistry? Biology? What is it that makes some foods go together so impeccably? Kathleen Purvis cites a number of chefs who have written cookbooks on this issue .. among them Gray Kunz whose book I have just purchased ... a good read ...Charlotte Creative Loafing articles this week include: * Gastronomy In Cyberspace Blogs unite the global food community by ethan gilsdorf * Pick a Peck of Food Blogs by ethan gilsdorf * Blogs With Local Connections by tricia childress which includes this tiny mention of eG: * The Boss Lunch: Spots for business wheelers and dealers by tricia childress * I Dream of Genie Soup by kim o'donnel * It's That Time Again Girl Scout Cookies are back in season by linda vespa * Alternatives to chardonnay and cabernet by taylor eason Memphis Commercial Appeal has an article this week which I personally enjoyed because I have never considered making a savoury creme brulee: Creme brulee satisfies as main dish never actually gave this much thought .. until now ... The Nashville Tennessean has a number of articles in the food section: * C'mon, give healthy eating a try * Meatless, not heatless * Mad about saffron The St Petersburg Times articles this week are worthy of your attention, and this by Janet Keeler, Times Food Editor: * Hot, hot, hot The word is used repeatedly by fans of celebrity chef Tyler Florence - and they aren't just describing the food .... Florence answers questions and gives advice while cooking: The Raleigh News & Observer has some wonderful reading in its articles this week: * Gloved hands not always cleaner There's something reassuring about watching restaurant workers handle our food with gleaming gloves, but the appearance of extra cleanliness may be no more than that -- appearance. * A truly delicious cobbler I know that it sounds downright unpatriotic with Presidents Day on Monday, but cherry pies just don't thrill me. * Tea might do you some good It may come as no surprise to Southerners: After water, the most popular beverage in the world is tea. * This show really cooks The confessional monologue, delivered in the form of a cooking class, makes its Triangle debut this weekend. * Artful desserts from the museum restaurant Baby Bundt Chocolate Banana Pound Cake, which was served with praline ice cream. * Two new eateries bloomin' The first half of February saw the opening of two promising restaurants, both the first ventures of chefs with impressive credentials. * The Wine List Each week, a Triangle wine shop recommends wines in three price ranges: under $10, $10 to $20 and more than $20. * Here's to Slovenia and beyond Thirty years ago, the world was full of people who thought that only France and Germany could produce wines worth drinking. * One-dish meals make dinner easy In these days of busy households and hectic work schedules, it isn't surprising that cooks are spending less time preparing food than they once did. Have a great week whether you are cooking at home or dining out ... I am going to spend a large part of this week visiting and writing about the food in both Asheville and Hendersonville, North Carolina. Back next week with all new SE Digests!

Schmulka Bernstein's is long gone but, take heart, there is a fascinating discussion on Jews and Chinese food at eGullet: right here ... in it are some mentions of NYC kosher Chinese food ... enjoy! more information:Kosher Dining Guide maybe China Glatt?

The mention of Crook's Corner and Bill Neal made me even more accutely aware of the man himself in an article by Bill Addison .. the article: Atlanta Creative Loafing

This week's Atlanta Creative Loafing has an updated, comprehensive review by Cliff Bostock, on RiceSticks here in Atlanta:

I am completely incredulous! I have been gravening lax for years with a simple Pyrex dish and some plastic film ... with terrific results ... and now I find (with your kind assistance, Sam) that I could have spent $50 for a container and some plastic pouches ... whatta relief! (parenthetical comments all mine, of course) Why didn't I think of this???

No, but it did seem interesting, if complicated ... what I do make on a regular basis is my homecured gravlax ... which is invariably requested by my guests ...

and the discovery that chocolate can be quite healthy is yet another 'scientific breakthrough' from which I derive intense pleasure! Guess if I live long enough, scientists will find "nutritional virtues" in all of my vices!

loxmania as a resource for some of your questions

Looking to rent near a Starbucks! For purely health reasons, you understand ...

article from Food Navigator This of interest to you coffee drinkers out there? Or will you continue to drink your java pretty much as you already do now?

article from SF Gate Fess Parker Vineyards and Hotel .. not too shabby for a coonskin hat wearing retired actor ...

Vinomar omain ... Substitutes can make you totally crazy ...

article on Sir Richard's wine in Decanter.com

article from Slate Magazine Some examples in this article and the descriptions include: Niebaum-Coppola Cabernet Franc 2002, $44 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon 2001, $100 Ernie Els 2001, $80 Greg Norman Limestone Coast Shiraz Cabernet 2001, $16 Greg Norman Limestone Coast Shiraz 2002, $16 Lys de Volan Condrieu 2003, $40 Emeril's Classics Chardonnay 2003, $10 Emeril's Classics Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $10 Elvis Blue Suede Chardonnay 2001, Jailhouse Red Merlot 2002, Blue Christmas Cabernet 2002, $10 for the chardonnay and the merlot, $17 for the cabernet J. Garcia Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $17 Have you had occasion to try any of these wines? If so, what was your impression of the particular wine? Do you think that adding a celebrity's name to a wine makes it more appealing? interesting article, same subject, Detroit News

You might consider (but I assume will not ultimately find to your liking) this option: Viking Home Chef workshops They are given much less frequently than Cooks' Warehouse and are more expensive ... That is why CW is the best option in Atlanta at this time, at least to my way of thinking ...

Cook's Warehouse This place is highly recommended by local food enthusiasts. Located in Midtown, this looks like a perfect opportunity which your father-in-law might well treasure! They offer a lot of different classes, some of which may fill the bill ... classes being offered by location, time, theme

Funny that you should mention this at this time! I will be in Asheville from the 21st-25th doing some food writing on places not to miss there .. there are a load of good places now .. many of which are downtown ... here is a site with many possibilities.... links to many places downtown

But you will give it a try, won't you, otello? We'd love to hear more!

Making your mayonnaise? Make sure to keep it refrigerated at all times since it has no preservatives. Make only what you are going to use... lasts a few days ...

Of course after making my own, I still find it simpler and just about as close to either Hellman's or Kraft ... once went to a taste testing/market research group on these two types ... came out with a deeper appreciation for Hellman's ... Low fat mayos and Miracle Whip still verboten in my home ... for obvious reasons ... Unusual uses? Wasn't there a thing a long time ago about using it as a treatment for dried out hair? but that isn't culinary ...

Oddly enough, given his background:

Not too long ago, Jason Perlow (and his eG guests) had a scientific experiment in which he taste-tested several types of hot dogs and put the results into a grid ... than drew conclusions based on multiple factors .... can't locate the thread right now but will soon ... and we do actually have several threads on hot dogs from numerous perspectives ... go to "site search" on top of the page and type in "hot dogs" which will bring up these threads ...

A good hot dog can be a thing of beauty and a stupendous culinary experience! I think that simplicity in toppings magnifies and allows the taste of the hot dog to shine through .. multiple layers of toppings only serve to obscure the true taste .. but, keep in mind that the quality of the hot dog must be high and worthy of enjoyment. Worst topping? ( what a superb chance to use a pun here: wurst topping ) Hot dog topping is an exercise kind of like font choice in graphic design. If you apply many toppings without thought, you get clashing flavors in your mouth with every bite .. simplicity in all things ...

Robert Parker is at this moment a guest on PBS' Charlie Rose Show, which, hopefully, will be repeated ... he is marvelous to listen to and learn from.

The pleasure was all mine, to be sure, schmooty! Glad it went so incredibly well! Thanks for the followup review .. it may inspire others to check the place out for themselves!