Gifted Gourmet

One of the things which I find most engaging and intriguing about Israel is the way in which the current state is a melange of the elements from Europe and the land of Israel itself .... the schnitzel coming from Europe and the tabbouli type vegetable mix from the Middle East ... and somehow it all works ... Israel is such a melting pot of all of the lands in which the Jewish people have lived in the Diaspora ... and it all has come together in the foods we find there today.

I say with tongue firmly implanted in cheek that I look forward to a new Food TV show called "Emeril Dead." and I am in tears of laughter about how he will issue forth, bellow actually, "Bam!"

ii HAVE NEVER STORED MARZIPAN OR ALMOND PASTE THAT LONG, BUT i WOULD THINK YOU COULD SPIKE UP THE FLAVOR WITH A FEW DROPS OF BITTER ALMOND. Thanks for the idea! I didn't plan to keep it frozen for such a length of time, simply pushed it back in the freezer and lost track of it I used bitter almond extract a long time ago with orange blossom water which is more authentically Moroccan .. lived near Rabat way back, for two years. Guess I will make this again because it was a "bestseller"!

I used to make my own marzipan and freeze it in logs to use in Moroccan pastries like "the snake" that I made while catering ... but, if left in the freezer for too long, the taste can dissipate and weaken .. too long being a year, when I misplaced it in the deep dark recesses of my freezer! "The Snake" a recipe: http://dinnercoop.cs.cmu.edu/dinnercoop/Re...ndPastries.html also to be found in Paula Wolfert's cookbooks.

Thank you for this, Jason! I definitely enjoyed the lamb shwarma I had on Dizengoff in Tel Aviv, but can't find it here ... other than that I enjoy baba ghanouj, hummus and tehina on my falafel .. when it is made properly .. not often the case ...

The description of the "gelled martini cubes" had me in hysterics! and the concept of a sea urchin napoleon made me consider some of this culinary exploration at home as a real possibility ... it allayed my inner fears of experimenting .... Thanks, bloviatrix, for this piece!!

Easy.... bona fide, noodle-laced, chicken soup, hotter the better! also referred to as "Jewish penicillin"... Hot tea with honey and lemon .... Friends suggested a shot of whiskey and then taking a hot bath .. me? just want to sleep ...

Perhaps a Chardonnay or Bordeaux White or even a Semillon?

Very similar experience as you on this until I got to Vienna last fall ... twice my Visa card was refused, and eventually they decided they would accept my American Express card .... but then I also had bought AXP Traveller's Cheques in Euros for just such an emergency ... I like the fact that the European restaurants bring the card swiping machine to one's table! Beats having it disappear from view as often happens here in the States .

Pond's Cold Cream?

Even more basic than Katie's pairings, mine are: Brie and Cabernet or a Beaujolais Port Salut and Chinon Emmenthaler and Cotes du Rhone Bucheron and Sauvignon Blanc Italian Taleggio and Port Edited: for memory issues

Goodbye Ben Goodbye Jerry Goodbye Haagen Goodbye Dazs .... Gonna miss you all

and the title of the creation might be something to the effect a "Seven Eleven Surprise Cobbler" (or Slump, Grunt, or Fool, to be historically correct??)? Whatta concept!! Thanks again ....

Dropping all of my heretofore preconceived notions about canned fruit and opting for this delightful dessert that you have just explained! Thank you for sharing this recipe .. sounds simple yet elegant!! Rustic yet soignee!

Possibly because they have already been rather "cooked" once already in the canning process .... and the preservatives give them such nice color and consistency .... Still have to try to use fresh when available here!

You got that absolutely correct, lala! I rarely bother to watch any FoodNetwork shows since I became involved in eGullet ... the TV has become the sole preserve of my husband and he holds his remote with glee, but solo .. and I am more than content to be here!

Quite right, bloviatrix, just read a number of recipes for just that ... but, barring the canned type if need be, try to find frozen peaches because they will taste fresher .. and you can add yogurt to the frozen blended peaches for a "smoothie" as well ... Canned is indeed convenient, no doubt about it ...

Just possibly you might want to include the people involved in the "Slow Food Movement" who are equally serious about their food .. might that change your statistics, even in some miniscule fashion? I know, it ain't exactly a tsunami of viewers ....

Thanks for the reminder, Bunny! I have been known to buy canned cherries and make a cherry clafouti without reservation .... it is a marvelous fruit to which I add a bit of brandy to round out the flavors ... and cherries are quite seasonal ...

Isn't that why there are now "on demand" programs available for those willing to pay for something they enjoy?

I have, as you correctly note, resorted to canned fruit in "emergencies" when I was unable to buy something fresh .. I have been known to use canned mandarin oranges to enliven something that needed that quick citrusy taste ... but it is usually not something I prefer, choosing instead to try to find something in the frozen fruit section of my local grocery.

I think everyone is serious about food. Everyone has to eat. Perhaps we, the more food oriented, need something of a cable version of Gastronomica ... dedicated, die hard food people might watch ... but, then again, for how long? Oh, sorry, for that there is PBS ....

Thank you for the validation of my beliefs here (see above) ... he is their Knight in Shining Armor (or gahlick) and PBS, while I enjoy it tremendously, appears here locally with food shows only on Saturday afternoons .... understandably so .... as they say "We rely upon viewers like you."

Emeril Live has been on at 8 eastern for several years now. Also repeats at midnight eastern, so the West coast gets it at 8pm as well. For a while there, it was also on at 11pm eastern. Emrul gets 2-3 hours per day - minimum - on that network. I have come to believe that FN will give Emeril pretty much whatever he wants, and, even more importantly, whatever amount of time he wants. I feel that they credit him with a lot of the success of the network because he has "delivered" much of their initial audience .. he is their "poster child", as it were. And, while many of us who are truly into food on all levels, have grown weary of his banter and show biz style, their general viewing audience may love the guy. They rate their own shows constantly, I am sure ... Just an opinion ....

What Costco? Where??? I would LOVE to get my hands on itty-bitty Nutellas...I'm pretty sure they wll be in my dreams tonight..."must--have---baby-squeezy-nutellas...." Costco in Atlanta