Priscilla

Oh my goodness I have been fervently anticipating the wild salmon we'll be eating perhaps twice a week pretty soon. Not soon enough, neither.

In absolute serendipity, the 15-year-old just finished Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, we are having Caesar salade tonight, this a.m. I bought a Nero d'Avola, AND we're chariot-race-deep into Ben-Hur.

And I forgot to add that I have served loquat chutney with roast duck. Very nice.

Ha! Loquats for everyone!You are so right, Scottie, when describing the flavor as delicate. I shall point out the Alice Waters title to my friend, in case (in hopes?) that this year's is a typically abundant crop.

DG, I never thought of looking among the canned fruit at the pan-Asian supermarket.

Last evening, a congruence of events (90ish degree day and happening across excellent Romaine) led inexorably to porterhouse steaks and big old Caesar salade.

CT, a lot of my friend's crop hangs conveniently over the fence at about eye level -- real decadence, a rare enough thing for which I am always on the lookout, is to be able to casually pick a piece of fruit off a tree without undue effort.

Thanks Dave! I would not be surprised if they appear in old-fashioned backyard orchards all over the place.

Last evening big potful of small excellent Manila clams steamed in a little white vermouth, chopped onion, garlic, load of parsley, s & p, at the end a splash of Henri Bardoin pastis and a generous hit of heavy cream allowed to bubble a bit. Nice redleaf salade. LBB seedy baguette, saltylicious Tillamook butter. Good Sancerre the wine store guy recommended.

Me too. I must add that since my very first reading of this piece the vision of the Japanese ladies in the loquat tree has floated in my head like the memory of a beautiful Japanese woodblock print. Thanks, Priscilla. ← Thank you, Maggie. What I have seen as depictions of greengage plum boughs on Japanese dishware and other goods I now think, like to think, loquats.

Thank you, Rachel. If you happen upon a good supply maybe there'll be some loquat preparations added to your put-up treasures.

This amuses me greatly, as my strikingly mild-mannered mother belongs to the AAUW.Thank you very much, Bruce. Ladylike mild-manneredness in no way precludes a spine of steel, in my experience. Somebody did a very good job with you, eh? I bet there are seasonal loquats in your region... they are worth trying, can be almost lychee-like in flavor and texture when really good.

Strong, clear, compelling writing--really gripping. What a pleasure to read.

Well, Brooks, thanks for everything, esp. for knowing the the difference between right and wrong, cake-vs.-pie-wise. You can tell a lot about a person that way.

Last evening, cheeseburgers, chuck run 2x through the old KitchenAid grinder, Moomie's buns, Tillamook medium cheddar, shoestring frites (twice-fried froz.), + all the usual suspects. Sapporo Draft.

Thank you, DG, for the garlic fried rice info. Blog on!

Gorgeous eggs. DG I love your foodblog. Cute boys! And a lovely microcasm of the wildly multi-culti eG world. The sheer amount of cooking you do is impressive, but also the high quality. Have you outlined your garlic fried rice method somewhere I missed?

Yay a million views. Wonder how many are mine over the years. Last evening, fish pye, using leftover grilled salmon, plus nice crimini mushrooms, onion, parsley. Thick raft of mashed potatoes on top, that'll take care of that pesky partial bag in the pantry. Asparagus, like the devil with the blue dress on, not too skinny not too fat, blanched, eaten w/mayonnaise on the side. Not bad Zinfandel from Trader Joe's, after I'd given up on Zinfandels from Trader Joe's.

Ya, and for some of us lovely sunny Mexico IS local. Viva Mexico indeed--a lot of what happens and needs to happen daily would NOT, happen, without its citizens. The other night, wasn't roasted after all; fat spears peeled, blanched, eaten by hand w/mayonnaise, a la Russe. Accompanying Rocky V; ingesting the Rocky cycle entire and in order, just the way I like it; Rocky VI is #1 for takeoff upon release later this month. Tonight, skinnier ones cut, steamed, dressed with Japanese sesame sauce. Tomorrow, remains to be seen. And ye olde freezer bag of trimmings for asparagus soup in potential grows propitiously.

I won't be getting in asparagus harness until tomorrow evening, roasted/olive oil/sea salt, I believe, however the treatment could well change between now and then, so meanwhile I dredge up from eG history The March of Asparagus.

I love felafel. Felafel was, in fact, what propelled me into finding a local Middle Eastern market back in the 1980s when I was just a little cook, which of course turned out to be fortuitous beyond felafel. Pontormo, I was just going to punt the question about ceci flour, which was what the proprietess of the aforementioned market put me onto when I asked her for felafel advice, highlightng the timesaving aspect. The ones I used to make acc. to her directions were not bad at all. Whole beans taste better, however. I'd be interested in any info about the relative use of whole beans vs. bean flour in re felafel.

Last evening, late, excellent Cantella's so-called English bangers, roasted to a turn in a hot oven. Cabbage and shallot and a big Fuji apple, chopped, braised in butter to total collapse and finished with white wine vinegar and sour cream, plenty of s & p. Batard from the Vietnamese French baker. Korbel Brut from a magnum bottle, testing, perhaps proving, again the E. Hemingwayism that sparkling wine tastes better from a magnum.

Ah Leung, your foodblog is absolutely fascinating and delightful. And this on top of your pictorials! Best wishes for your new year, and here's hoping that, esp. now that your flying dream is well on its way to fulfillment, the RV part is not far behind. And, when in OC, have you ever eaten at China Garden in Irvine? Dim sum there in particular is highly thought of, locally.

Sausage and risotto, major yum, FM. I have been intrigued by the green apple risotto in the past, great to see it in living color. Last evening, burgers made from a chuck roast that had been sent 2x through the old KA grinder along with a supplemental fist-sized piece of solid suet the counter guy was nice enough to give me when I asked, the fat not the roast. Large amount of lightly caramelized onions and gorgonzola on top; onion rolls. Virtuous cucumber spears with crunchy salt on the side. Remainder of a 2003 Duckhorn cab.

Last evening, couple little ducklings, roasted. Apricot preserves for those who like that sort of thing. Redleaf salade w/mustardy shalloty vinaigrette. Ciabatta from the Japanese French baker. Old vines Garnarcha, very good. Couple more eps of Extras, very good.