mukki

A few years ago, my roommate's mom brought a large container of homemade murukku when she came to visit. I'd never had murukku before, but was instantly hooked: her version was crunchy, light and nicely spiced. I'd sneak into the kitchen at night just to dip into that container. I've tried since then to locate a similar version in local Indian snack shops, but they've all been hard without any spices. My roommate promised me her mom's recipe, but, alas, I never got hold of it. Since then, I've printed out many recipes off the internet, but I have no idea which will make a similar version. I'm thinking that perhaps it had butter in it, since it was light, not heavy. It also must have had red pepper in it, since it was spicy. Can anyone help with locating a delicious, spiced murukku recipe? I picked up a mix that just contains various flours/ground beans in it, so I could possibly add butter, water and various spices and try that. Hilary

I planted my tomatoes in March, so I'm now getting the first of the Stupice. I also have Dona tomatoes and Bush Celebrity (recommended since I grow them in pots). Zucchini and haricots vert are a first for me this year. Blueberries and a boysenberry. Alpine strawberries. Dill, parsley, chives, thyme, sage, mint and basil. And several large rosemary bushes, which grow like weeds. Meyer lemon, Valencia orange, Persian lime -- none of which are doing too well. I love Swiss Chard, so I'll have to plant some in the fall.

I don't think I can help much, but I did get interested in this cake a few years ago and searched extensively for recipes. I didn't actually try any of them, but the best sounding one I found was from the Star Bulletin on-line. It comes with a guava frosting and topping. Guava Chiffon

We just returned from a trip to SF and Napa and I highly recommend Zuzu for tapas. Standout dishes included the Air Dried Beef Filet with Whole Grain Mustard Aioli and the Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms, Asparagus, Truffle Vinaigrette and San Andreas. We also ate at Chez Panisse and the French Laundry, and I found Zuzu to be a nice diversion. The benefit of I-5 is that it's much faster. It's god-awful boring and monotonous, though. Not much of a way to see California. Like others have said, PCH can take a very, very long time to drive (don't get stuck on the twisty part from Carmel to Hearst Castle in the dark -- what a pain). We drove PCH back from SF to Orange Co. and it was a bit painful. However, the scenery is worth it if you've never driven it before. We visited Opus One a few years ago and I place it near the bottom of the list (we didn't do the tour, though). The building is this mausoleum-like modern structure that's very out of place, in my opinion. And the tastings are woefully expensive. We've enjoyed Duckhorn (nice grounds, nice tasting facility), Chateau Montelena, and Mondavi (informative tour).

To each his own, but, wow, I've eaten at both the FL (just last week!) and CIA and I really can't even think to talk about them in the same sentence. While I can understand your comments about the FL feeling "passionless" (although I didn't come away with a negative impression), the "energy" at CIA bordered on a chain-style restaurant to me. Oysters and Pearls did indeed live up to the expectations -- an incredible dish bursting with various flavors. The cheese course was the most disappointing; not for the cheese selection -- Ossau Vieille, which was wonderful -- but the accompanying items (fennel bulb and piquillo peppers), which just didn't work for me. Has anyone else tasted the home-smoked steelhead trout roe? Wonderful little balls of smoky, lightly fishy goodness.

Ok -- I see now that I was confused and had commingled the lunch offering in the main dining room (2 plates for $24) with the prix fixe at Nougatine. We'll definitely be eating in the main room. Thanks, everyone!

An archive of discussion on Jean Georges and Nougatine from 2002 - 2004 may be found here. We'll be visiting NYC in May and have the following meals planned: WD-50, Babbo, Mary's Fish Camp, Chikalicous, Papaya King and Grimaldi's. I'm considering the prix fixe lunch at Jean-Georges (or Nougatine, I guess it is) v. lunch at Gramercy in the main dining room. We'll have six people. From what I've read, lunch at JG is a "great deal" but seems particularly limited in choices and the choices I've seen just don't seem that appealing (although there is no menu listed on the JG website and I can't find much info on what a typical PF lunch is there). Plus, it's at Nougatine (which I assume is a step down from JG) and I'm not sure if that makes much of a difference or not. We ate at Gramercy for dinner 2 years ago and loved it, so going back there has a certain appeal. Opinions on the prix fixe lunch at JG? I just can't find that much information. Edited to add: I suppose I'm also interested to know whether the JG/Nougatine lunch is representative of JG in general. Or is it just a good, cheap lunch?

Justin -- I wanted to add my thanks as well. This thread has been wonderful to read and I've added more restaurants to my "must try" list. We're visiting NY in May and have meals planned at Babbo (pasta tasting menu, loved the pasta at Lupa), Jean-Georges, WD-50 and Gramercy (we had a great experience there the one time we went). Please do continue your reviews when you have the chance!

I just read this thread and wanted to say that I did find Vacherin Haut-Rive in the LA area this spring (for $45 a box ). I also saw Vacherin in Del Mar, CA at Aniata Cheese Company in December. The Haut-Rive was excellent, just as good as the Vacherin Mont D'Or I ordered from fromages.com last year. According to "The Cheese Plate" by Max McCalman, Haut-Rive is pasteurized; I suspect the one I received from fromages.com was pasteurized, as well. I'm anxiously looking forward to trying the raw milk version in France this November!

If you are a good girl, be sure to pick up an "I sat in my chair and kept my mouth shut, at the Ramos House Cafe" T-shirt! ← It's funny b/c I know they make a big deal about kids keeping quiet at Ramos House ("unruly children will be ground up and fed to General Sherman [the cat]" -- or something like that), but I've definitely experienced children causing a ruckus there and no one ever says anything. Anyways, try the pain perdu if you go (especially if it's blackberry that day) -- delicious!

I finally gave up on buying them. I did every year for nostalgic reasons, but I finally realized that I really don't like them and I'd end up munching the whole box as it sat in my office. Definitely not worth it!

A chocolate-covered salted cashew caramel from Garrison Confections. I ordered the seasonal collection and Valentine's collection -- they look promising, but the shipping ($25) to California makes ordering them prohibitive! The chocolate came on the heels of buttered homemade pasta with shaved fresh Oregon black truffles.

I think my favorite so far is Vacherin Mont d'Or -- runny, barnyardy and pungent. And available only for a short time in the winter. I missed most of the season this year and only ended up with some from the Beverly Hills Cheese Store, which was selling for $45 a round! At least it was well-ripened. I like a good Epoisses, as well. I'm hoping to try Torta del Casar from Spain sometime.

That is the same recipe I use (except my original called for oil instead of butter, which works great) and it makes the BEST pancakes!

I visited Kee's when I was visiting Manhattan last November. Unfortunately, she didn't have very many flavors available that morning (and a lot of the flavors listed here that I find intriguing were not available). I tried the sesame, and, I believe, a white chocolate-coconut and perhaps a green tea flavor. I wasn't terribly excited about the flavor combinations I tried (although they were good -- just not as tasty as my favorites at Chuao Chocolatier) -- what struck me the most, though, was how fresh-tasting and soft the chocolates tasted, which was wonderful. Definitely tasted like they had just been made that morning, which I'm sure they were. Vosges, in comparison, tasted like the chocolates could have been made a week ago or more.

I finally made it to Boule today -- got one of each of the macaron and 4 chocolates, but haven't tried them yet. I did, however, eat my Kouign Aman -- wow! I highly recommend you try one of these scrumptious sugary/croissant dough/type pastries. The Tigre was ok -- I believe it's a browned butter hazelnut cake with chocolate in the middle. Nothing exciting here. The pineapple-Indonesian pepper sorbet was good, although the pepper got a little tiring after a while. Edited: I've now eaten all 7 macaron -- the pumpkin and gingerbread apple were very unique and good. All in all, though, I enjoy the macaron from Pascal Epicerie in Newport Beach better (especially the Praline). Pascal's have more contrast between the crispy exterior and softer inside; also, the Boule macaron made me feel a bit queasy for some reason -- too sweet? too gooey?

Pascal Rigo's "American Boulangerie" has a recipe for salted caramel, which he suggests you use as a filling for caramel macarons.

So, after reading this thread, I went out and bought a Bialetti maker -- the Brikka model to be exact, which has been mentioned in this thread. I think the mechanics are somewhat different from the traditional style pot and the end result is supposed to create crema. My problem: it makes the worst coffee I've ever had! And I mean bad, undrinkable. I've made about 12 pots so far, using Lavazza Gold and have NOT washed it with soap in between uses. It continues to make a thin, bitter brew. I use the right amount of water, don't tamp down the grounds and turn off the heat as soon as the moka starts coming out of the valve. Is it me? Is it the Brikka model? I usually drink Turkish coffee made in an ibrik or French press style coffee using my home roasted beans (recently got into the home roasting thing). Am I expecting too much? I'm thinking of buying a regular Bialetti model, particularly since I'd like to try out Cuban coffee at home, but wanted to get opinions first.

The Lin book does indeed provide instructions on making several types of noodles, as well as cooking them.

I have too much sitting in my veggie drawer from my CSA deliveries. Any tasty Indian-inspired recipes I can use the squash in?

Gelson's carries Cowgirl cheeses, as does Bristol Farms and Whole Foods.

I first ate Indian food at the Taj restaurant in Fullerton, California when it opened around 1987 (I was about 12). My mom had been to India and wanted to try it, and there were no other Indian restaurants in the immediate area. I absolutely loved the food, the decor, everything. We usually ordered something called Ginger Chicken and naan (and I often had some mixed non-alcoholic drink that was particular to the restaurant); I can't remember the other dishes. We actually went to India that winter and I remember thinking how much better I liked the Indian food "back home." Anyways, I still eat Indian food at least once a week (moving to Cambridge, MA for college broadened my experience) and cook it from various books, particularly Maya Kaimal's. I actually introduced my boyfriend of 12 years to the cuisine back in high school and he loves it as well. My vote for the best introductory dishes would be chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken and garlic naan.

I have this book, as well; in fact, I just made Shao Bing from it this morning to stuff with spiced beef shank and cilantro. Other favorites include Chinese Cuisine and Chinese Snacks by Huang Su-Huei.