mukki

I strongly second this. His crust recipe is really wonderful. Two random tart recipes that I've really enjoyed are actually in "The Cook and the Gardener" by Amanda Hesser. The plum tart with a walnut-nutmeg-cream filling is wonderful if you have great plums and the apple tart (caramelized apples weighed down during baking) is very tasty, as well.

My 33 lbs of E. Guittard chocolate arrived on Friday, so I made the rochers. They're called something else in the book -- but essentially are almonds, pistachios, candied orange peel, and rice crispy cereal mixed with tempered white chocolate and cocoa butter and then formed into mounds. I'm sad to say that I'm very disappointed. The end result ended up tasting worse than than the individual ingredients. I munched on the homemade peel and pistachios which both tasted great, but the resulting rochers just tasted boring. Cereal didn't seem to add much crunch and I wonder if the cocoa butter could have possibly washed out the chocolate flavor. I really like the rochers/grignottines I've gotten at Chuao Chocolatier where they're made with caramelized almond slivers, pistachios, and orange peel. Perhaps the caramelization and dark chocolate make a difference.

I highly recommend the Dordogne. We took the train to Bordeaux, picked up a car, spent a night in St. Emilion and then drove around the Dordogne. You can find a few pictures in my trip report here.

Well, like I said earlier, I've eaten here many, many times over the years. Sometimes the food is just off, particularly with the spicy won tons. The beef noodle soup has its ups and downs, as well, and the broth can taste insipid. Overall, though, I find it to be very good.

How can you tell if it has de-anodized? I have an All-Clad LTD non-stick saute pan that has suddenly turned a disturbing light grey on the interior. I was thinking of getting rid of it, but if I can exchange it, all the better.

This has been one of our regular restaurants for years! Love the spicy wontons.

I enjoy a lot of the blogs that have been mentioned, but I tend to switch around a lot. Chocolate & Zucchini was a favorite in the beginning, but I don't look at it much anymore. I just discovered Kuidaore, which has been mentioned before, and have been going through the archives. Great photography and she makes a lot of the recipes I'm interested in (particularly pastry).

Well, what's currently called the Pro 600 is not what you linked to on the Costco website. The Pro 600 has a 575w motor and a 6 qt. capacity bowl. Since the one of the Costco site is $399 and the Pro 600 price at retailers like Williams Sonoma is also $399 (minus a $30 rebate), you'd be better off with the stronger model. ← WHOOPS! I just saw that the mixer you mentioned is on Costco's Canadian site and, therefore, the price is CDN$. I knew there had to be *something* wrong there, but didn't take the time to figure it out.

Well, what's currently called the Pro 600 is not what you linked to on the Costco website. The Pro 600 has a 575w motor and a 6 qt. capacity bowl. Since the one of the Costco site is $399 and the Pro 600 price at retailers like Williams Sonoma is also $399 (minus a $30 rebate), you'd be better off with the stronger model.

From the description on Amazon, it doesn't sound like there is anything new.

Emily Luchetti has a new book coming out called Classic Stars Desserts: Favorite Recipes by Emily Luchetti, which combines the best recipes from her Stars Desserts and Four-Star Desserts (which are both out of print). I don't have either of those, so I'll probably check out the new one.

I'm going to add one more (even though I made them after New Year's): Bouchon's TKO/Oreo recipe. Rich, chocolately cookies sandwiched with a white chocolate ganache.

I thought that a lot of the Penzeys hype was just that until I compared some recent purchases from Kalusytan's to my past Penzeys purchases. I have to say that the mace and nutmeg from Penzeys taste a lot fresher, more pure and just plain better than their Kalustyan's counterparts. In fact, I'm throwing out the nutmeg and mace from Kalustyan's; they're just not worth eating. Kalustyan's certainly has a lot to offer, but for some spices, I think the quality at Penzeys is much better.

1. El Bulli (Roses, Spain) 2. Jean-Georges (New York) 3. Per Se (New York) 4. No. 9 Park (Boston) 5. St. John (London) 6. Cinq Sentits (Barcelona) 7. Gordon Ramsey at the London (New York) 8. Lucques (Los Angeles) -- suckling pig with blackeyed peas was delicious; perfectly-done salads 9. Stonehill Tavern (Michael Mina) (Dana Point, California) 10. Otto (New York) -- salad, pasta and olive oil gelato made for a memorable and satisfying meal

Probably "The Gastronomical Me" because I'm fascinated with her descriptions of growing up in Whittier (near where I grew up) and spending her summers in Laguna Beach (near where I now live). There's just something about these stories that I find very warming and comforting, which must have to do with my childhood. "Among Friends" is one of my favorites, as well.

I agree. I was hoping for that recipe too. It sounded great. ← The recipe will supposedly be included in tomorrow's food section.

Yes, the hot water step is just to warm up the egg whites. I whisked them lightly while warming; I didn't use a thermometer, just heated till warm to the touch. Then, after removing the whites from the hot water bath, you whip to medium soft peaks. As for your texture question, what stage are you referring to? After baking? The baked macarons didn't have any noticeable large air pockets -- they were just light and puffed. A thin, light crunch on the outside, with a slight chew on the interior. I've tried some macarons that have a large air pocket between the crust and interior, but these were not like that.

I had a really nice tea cocktail at Eleven Madison Park recently. I can't remember all that was in it, but I had two and they were quite delicious and well-balanced.

Here is the LA Times recipe, but you might have to register to view it. The recipe actually calls for blackstrap molasses. I used whatever is available at Trader Joe's. LittleIsland -- thanks! I've tried a few other macaron recipes, but this one yielded the prettiest results -- probably a result of LAT/Sherry Yard's clear instructions and learning from past mistakes (e.g., beating the egg whites until they were too stiff).

This year it was gingerbread macarons (I posted a picture in the macaron thread). Last year, ischl tarts were the big hit.

This morning I made Sherry Yard's gingerbread macarons, recipe courtesy of the LA Times. The meringue is flavored with cinnamon, ginger and molasses. Filling consists of a not-very-sweet apple compote. Results were pronounced delicious! I also found the recipe very easy to work with.

This book might be my favorite cookbook purchase this year. There are so many recipes I look forward to trying. The Spiced Sour Cream Apple Cake is delicious! I've made it three times in the last month. The spicing is perfect (maybe it's the allspice) and the turbinado sugar adds a wonderful crunch.

I totally agree with you. I remember stopping by the Crab Cooker as a kid with my parents after a long day at the beach. Highlight for me back then was probably the soda crackers! I recently went back and, nostalgia points aside, was terribly disappointed. Overpriced, bland food. And I wasn't even expecting much. Ruby's has also taken over the Crystal Cove Shake Shack (for better or worse); I'd eat there anyday over CC. Great setting, too.

I have a Cuisipro, which I got at a WS sale a few years ago (I think it ended up being around $35). It's very sturdy so far and a snap to clean.

That was me! My SO and I spent last week in NYC and happened to have a lunch reservation at Gordon Ramsey about the same time as Lorna and Henry. We covered quite a few places, too. Here's an overview. Lunch at Gordon Ramsey. The starters and desserts were the better parts of the meal for me. I thought the ham hock starter was quite enjoyable, as was the "lobster ravioli, poached in its own bouillon with celery root cream, shellfish vinaigrette and chervil veloute." The latter was so rich, though, that it made me feel a bit queasy. I found the anchovy sauce on the rabbit a bit overbearing and actually ended up avoiding it. SO had the roast lamb off of the a la carte menu which was merely good (once I find the menu, I'll add in the details of the dish). The apricot souffle was a winner... wonderful apricot flavor and a dish that was out of the ordinary. And I really enjoyed my lime and blackberry parfait. Bon bon trolley didn't wow me, though, and the chocolates had thick shells, heavy fillings and were generally uninteresting. The staff was particularly friendly here, especially once you got back into the kitchen. Gordon immediately handed us off to the chef de cuisine, Neil Ferguson, who chatted us up a bit, as did one of our servers (not sure what her exact position is). I usually find these situations a bit stiff (and I don't help things since I'm not the most talkative person), but was warmed up by the good cheer in the GR kitchen. Dinner at Otto. Escarole and sunchoke salad with pecorino (?) and lemon dressing was simple and delicious. I think I've been waiting a long time to try spaghetti alla carbonara like the one we had here. It was creamy from the cheese, but not eggy, with a perfect dose of pepper. Pizza was the worst of the lot: crust had a lot of flavor, but I didn't like the texture, and there was too much sauce. Olive oil gelato with blood oranges, candied kumquats, pomegranate, Capezzana olive oil and Maldon sea salt was one of the best things I ate on the trip, though. I couldn't believe how good this was! Lunch at Jean-Georges. Always a hit. The sea trout sashimi with trout eggs, dill and horseradish, like most of the better dishes here, had a great mix of textures and flavors. Caramelized foie gras with champagne gelee and candied pistachios and dried cherries was excellent. Although I haven't once been amazed by a dessert at JG, I find the chocolates and macarons to be very well done. I also noticed that Jean-Georges was in the kitchen during our visit. Dinner at Eleven Madison Park. I had an excellent cocktail here, which I don't remember the name of. I know it had tea in it. Very well balanced. Risotto of Acquerello carnaroli rice with parmigiano reggiano and Alba truffles was superb. Alba truffle dishes are usually quite good, but this one was a step above. Mains aren't worth mentioning, but dessert! Lived up to the hype. Sheep's milk cheesecake with roasted pineapple, pineapple sorbet, kaffir lime and kili pepper shortbread was light and tangy. The pineapple paired perfectly in my opinion. Araguani chocolate souffle with caramel popcorn and salted caramel ice cream was a perfect marriage of flavors, as well. It tasted even better than it sounded on paper. Dinner at Momofuku. Pork buns were as delicious as the first time I ate them. Soft, juicy, salty, a bit sweet with a slight crunch from the cucumber... Anson Mills yellow grits with shrimp, bacon, poached egg, and scallions was (I can't believe I'm going to say this) overburdened by the bacon. It really overpowered the dish, so I ended up leaving most of the bacon behind. The rest was quite good. Momofuku ramen didn't excite me as much as it did last time (perhaps the bacon dulled my palate). Lunch at City Bakery. I really enjoy City Bakery's salad bar, which always has a number of unique dishes that appeal to me. I also love the pretzel croissants, which are buttery and salty. Patisserie Claude: Delicious croissants. Flavorful, a bit salty, a bit sweet. Flaky on the outside, but a bit heavy on the inside (which I'm not used to, but turned out to be fine). Definitely the best croissant I've had outside of France. Kee's Chocolates: As usual, I really enjoy her chocolates, which always have nice, thin shells and taste extremely fresh. I actually had to wait 10 minutes while she finished making the Thompsons in my order. However, I did notice that the chocolate on my turtles may have developed some bloom. Mariebelle: great hot chocolate. I get the "American-style" made with milk and it's rich without being too heavy or thick. Bouchon Bakery: The TKO/oreos are rich, chocolately and very satisfying. A ham and cheese baguette sandwich for the plane turned out to be excellent. Apple cider tart had some rum in it and was well made. Caramel macaron didn't taste like caramel to me exactly, but had a deep flavor that was very enjoyable. Gingerbread with lemon icing was very good, as well.