AlexP

Thanks both of you for your comments. The general opionion is that as long as the cake is refrigerated I should be fine. That is good news because I need to do this in advance. Regarding the bourbon, I will keep it in mind and will do if I have some bourbon around, I think I do. Alex

Thanks Daniel. My time question is combining both times that you refer to (a) time between courses + (b) time eating. For example, I serve the soup at 8:00 p.m. The dinners take 15 minutes to eat it and I serve the pasta 5 minutes after we take the soup bowl away at 8:20 p.m. Total time between full bowl of soup and full bowl of pasta 20 minutes. (the above minutes are just examples to explain my question) What I am trying to figure out is what should I plan for a+b. 15 minute eating time 10 minutes between plates for a total of 25 minutes? The company is great and everybody is looking for having a good time, however, I have been to dinners when the timing between courses is so long that kills the entire event. Thanks Alex

Ok Daniel, if I start multiplying dinners and plates and other funny calculations I could get pretty stressed First plate will be used for the last plate. Second plate will be used for the 6th course. I have other plates for the rest of the food. I am doing the cooking and I have two people helping me by serving the food, pouring wine, and doing dishes and other miscellaneous including planting. And yes, we have 6 different wines! Obviously, none of us will be sitting at the table. The menu without fancy names for sauces: - Croquettes and Empanadillas (Deep Fryer) - Piquillo Peppers Stuffed (Oven) - Butternut Squash Soup (Pot - warm up) - Ravioli (Pots - cooked ravioli and warm up sauce) - Scallops and mushrooms (Pan roasted the scallops during service and warm up sauce) - Bouef Bourguignon (warm up) - Creme Brulee and Cheesecake People are coming at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. I have all my planning done until Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Now I am planning the actual dinner time. There is not turning back now Alex

I am planning a dinner party and I am currently scheduling the timing between courses. Is there a general rule? For example 20 minutes between courses? I have 12 diners and they will be presented with 7 plates of food. The portions will be similar for all plates. In general this is the plan: Appetizer Appetizer Soup Pasta Fish Meat Dessert I assume that one important factor is the speed of the diners themselves, however for planning purposes, I will disregard that element until dinnertime. I guess what I am asking is the time between a guest is served a plate and a second plate is served to the same guest. Hope this clarifies my inquiry. Thanks in advance for any comments Alex Edited to add clarification

JayBassin, Thanks for asking that question. Sorry, the intructions for the sour cream topping was added by the author in his "chef touch notes" and not included in the link. It basically states to apply a 3/4 cup of sour cream and 1 Tbsps of light brown sugar mixture to the top of the cake. This is an option given. I did it the first time around and I think it is a nice addition. He does not call for an additional baking time after applying the layer of sour cream. Alex

I am making a Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake from a Marcel Desaulniers recipe. I have done it before and although quite decadent, it is a crowd pleaser. A copy of the recipe (without his "chef touch notes") can be found here, unfortunately it is quite difficult to read: Recipe Anyway, the cheesecake will be served on Saturday and here is my plan to prepare it: Tuesday: baked both cheesecakes (pumpkin and chocolate) Wednesday: make ganache and assemble pumpkin cheesecake above chocolate. Thursday: add sour cream mixture to the top of the cake Would this be a correct timetable? I want to make it far in advance but I am afraid of any "sanitation" issues. Is it too early to put the sour cream on the cake 48 ours prior to eating? Thanks for any comments. Alex

I am going to tackle the Boeuf Bourguignon recipe and I have a question. Could I do the red-wine reduction one evening and then cooking the meat the following day? I was thinking in reducing the wine to a glaze as the recipe calls, let it cool, and place the pot in the fridge until the following day. Any comments will be appreciated it. Thanks Alex

I have not been in Cafe Havana to eat, but was there briefly for a drink. I did have dinner at Babalu a while ago. Personally, I would not consider these places the ideal destination for a woman dining alone primarily interested in the cusine. As others have mentioned, Vincent might be a great option. Vincent Have fun in Minneapolis Alex

Skunkbunny, Thanks for the links. I was hoping that the prices were for 1/2 a dozen Unfortunately, I just cannot spend that amount of money right now. Before I read your post, I purchased two PVC pipes last night of two different diameters. If I remember correctly 3 and 2 inches. I have cut PVC pipes while working on our house bathrooms and I have all the necessary tools. So it should be easy to get them cut. With a blade with enough teeth, I might be able to get a nice smooth edge. The total price for the pipes was $7 so I will not lose much if it does not work. I understand that I will be limited by not being able to warm up the pipe, but for this dinner party that I have coming up will have to do. I enjoyed checking out briefly your website and your blog. There is a photo in your website (in the gallery) of a fish dish in a bowl with some broth. Nice presentation, is the recipe or a description in your blog? Thanks Alex

Thanks for the clarification. Regarding Value. For the limited Tapas places that I have been outside Spain, I think value is the biggest problem. Sometimes the quality is there, but it is too expensive. For a Spaniard, this is a difficult concept to grasp because going for tapas, it is supposed to be an inexpensive way to dine compared to a formal sit down dinner. I believe the portions is what grabs my attention. Paying $7 US for 4 croquetas made of milk, flour, and some cheese is an expensive proposition. Anyway, I am not familiar with Eastern Canada. I hope that Spanish cuisine is well represented regardless of prices. Alex

Thanks for the clarification. Regarding Value. For the limited Tapas places that I have been outside Spain, I think value is the biggest problem. Sometimes the quality is there, but it is too expensive. For a Spaniard, this is a difficult concept to grasp because going for tapas, it is supposed to be an inexpensive way to dine compared to a formal sit down dinner. I believe the portions is what grabs my attention. Paying $7 US for 4 croquetas made of milk, flour, and some cheese is an expensive proposition. Anyway, I am not familiar with Eastern Canada. I hope that Spanish cuisine is well represented regardless of prices. Alex

Thanks Susan for the comments. Actually, I did go to Hockenbergs. I enjoyed the store and I've got a couple baking pans and some plastic bottles (ketchup style). However, they did not have anything for planting food on a plate. I have not checked Kitchen Window or Cooks of Crocus Hill yet. But I will in the short future. I have also considered getting a PVC pipe and cutting it up. I am looking for 12 rings and the PVC route would probably be the cheapest. Anyway, hopefully somebody else has other suggestions. Thanks Alex

Salomon, I do not understand the above statement. Do you mean that Spain Tapas bars (located in Spain) have snubbish waiters? Thanks Alex

Apologies in advance if this has been covered already... Where could I buy "rings" to plant food on a plate? I have been using empty tuna cans with cuts in both sides. However, I want something stronger. This photo gives you an idea: The second photo shows a ring Anybody knows a source for professional quality ones? I believe some people use cookie cutters. Any other "home" alternatives. I went to a restaurant supply store the other day, but they did not have any. Thanks in advance for any comments. Alex

That is just freaking outstanding. Thanks a lot Yellow Truffle. Fantastic. Well, if that is what I think about the photos, I cannot even imagine what would be for me to go to Alinea and have dinner. Some day. Alex

Yes! Cancel! Spain is horrible when it is raining, awful weather! That is why I moved from Cantabria to Minnesota. Seriously, I believe your are traveling with your children, that could be a thing to consider. However, I do not think you should think about canceling a trip to Barcelona just because the weather calls for rain. There are too many things to do where rain does not play an important role. Have fun Alex

I wish I would have something to tell you since I studied at St. Mary's in Winona a few years ago. However, I cannot remember a restaurant worth of mention. There was a restaurant by the river that was supposed to be the "fancy one", where students would take their parents when they came for a visit. Unfortunately, I do not recall the name and I do not think it was that good. In addition, after viewing the list below, I do not recognize anything good. List of Restaurants Hopefully somebody has a good suggestion for you though. Alex

I was thinking in buying the book. However, after reading this thread and others, I have decided not to. The main reason for my decision is that the credibility of the stories in this type of genre is important to me.

I have discovered your work after reading some of your posts in eGullet. I have read The Making of a Chef and The Soul of a Chef. I truly enjoyed both. Currently, I should received The French Laundry Cookbook any day now. So posting in eGullet might be a good thing for you after all. Thanks for your contributions, and great work. Alex

I am from Spain and hugging-kissing as way of introductions is normal. There is a lot more touching, in life in general, than in the US. Maybe that is why I really do not care if somebody touches my shoulder and says hello. Alex

I enjoyed the piece. Actually, I am looking forward to the other excerpts and may consider buying the book sometime. Alex

MaggieB, Good luck in whatever awaits you in the upcoming months! And thanks for trying and reporting on the recipes for the rest of us. Alex

I, once again, enjoyed the shows. However, you could see that in the final 3 challenge, Chef English had decided whom he wanted in the final 2 and even maybe in his kitchen. Although I liked Sarah, her dishes appeared to be the weakest. Her dessert had raw dough and the other one was not good (I just cannot remember what it was now). Autumn's food did not received on the program any complains, it was just her attitude. For the first time, in my opinion, the worst performer in the specific challenge did not get eliminated. Did Sarah's lasagna alone save her? In the final, it was pretty clear that Katie was going to win from the first dish. Sarah was just not there, poorly cook foie, dirty truffles, undercooked lamb... Katie made some mistakes, specially late food and lack of dessert, but at the end, the food was better according to the judges. I wish Sarah had done a better job, but I think Chef English made up his mind before the final. Are there plans for a second season in progress? Alex

If you are interested in buying online, La Espanola Meats might be a good place to find an inexpensive pan. Other places have them, such as La Tienda, but they are usually more expensive from my experience. Alex

I do not recall if there are any Williams & Sonoma in Canada... I have purchased Spanish rice in their American locations. Taking into consideration that it was a 1 kg package, it was not extremely expensive, less than 8 US $. Alex