Priscilla

Bless you! And I am in your camp, banana wise: don't like them much, and hate them speckled. But, as I said, you won't think "'Nanas!" when you taste the soup. ← Who will speak for ripe, speckled bananas? Me! Although I am a lone voice on this even in my own household. I've made Nero's One of Each Soup many times, and it is not identifiably bananey -- the banana just supports the overall sweet veg flavor of the other one of eaches, I find.

Ladies: Like Rebecca, and as I have said elsewhere, soup is my favorite food. Our Southern California what-passes-for-winter ain't a patch on you Northerners', but we did hit the 20s a couple of recent nights, the first time in 30 years, or so I was told by an old timer. Soup boosterism carries on throughout the year, regardless of weather. That said, during yesterday's cookage I did just happen to put the finishing touches on French onion soup for later consumption. AND, also on the slate this week, soupy black-eyed peas with a rice timbale island. Susan, why not make your own WW bread, which you could even dose with additional high-fiber ingredients? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Blog on!

Bruce, cute boys, and cute dogs too. I always appreciate the Eternal Cucumbers on your dinner posts, so it was extra nice to see them being so carefully prepped here. Please to the Table is a good one; are you familiar with The Art of Russian Cuisine by Anne Volokh? Out of print, but chockablock with good stuff. Blog on!

Ya, I have long known that it is lucky I read M.F.K.F. long ago. A big part of her interest for me, a real twofer, was that she was also a Southern Californian, and Whittier, where she grew up, and which is portrayed in some of her writing, was a close and familiar place for me. I happily read the biographies coming along much later, and whatever discrepancies don't bother me, as I don't consider it her responsibility, hers or any other writer's, to tell absolute "truth" on the page. It is particularly interesting to me, in fact, what writers change about their own stories, when they are ostensibly telling their own stories. Some of my other favorite food-world people are widely criticized for being not so nice--an accusation that is often the product of the near- or not-great attempting to bask in the reflected light of the subject. I had a class once with a person who had sung with a nowheresvillle band at Woodstock, and she was forever going on about how Janis Joplin was not a nice person. Ya, but what really stuck in her craw was that Janis was JANIS. Of course, I do have extremely high tolerance, if not affinity, for strong personalities, and will every time choose a brilliant egotist over a dissembling self-effacer. (Even--or especially--in men, provided they are also good looking: See Ivan.) I know this is not a universally-shared sentiment, however. Other figures important to me, Richard Olney, Elizabeth David, Madeleine Kamman--SO many people seem to hate their living guts, in some ways it's a wonder they have or had careers at all.

I certainly thought I was the only person with a secret HST history. Apparently not. Ever since learning (in one of his letters compilations) that he was sportswriting in Aruba while my Mother was living and working there, including THE VERY YEAR I WAS BORN, I have nurtured the hope.

Night before last, thick porterhouses (of which I claim a filet and let them divide up the rest) and a big Caesar salad. Nice Cabernet recommendation from the guy at the wine store, who is continuing to prove himself very useful. Last night, after sending chuck roast 2x through the old Kitchen Aid, cheeseburgers. Whole wheat buns, Tillamook medium cheddar. Crinkle frites. Major yum.

Tim, not to change the subject but I have been ruminating on your original analysis of Elizabeth David. As much as I have benefited from her books, and they are among the most important steps on my personal cooking continuum, if anything ever nagged at me it was the lingering feeling that it was intended for a certain group of people, and them alone, and in such situations my knee-jerk reaction is always, always, what about everybody else. I guess young Jamie Oliver is making up for that in recent years, and it is interesting that at least some of the criticism aimed at him seems bothered by his inclusionary, teacherly, spreading-the-word orientation. Your point about E. David's tremendous influence taking attention (and funds) away from British national cuisine in the immediate post-war period is a very good one, and deserves attention.

Pontormo, thanks, and yes, you have reminded me of the non-instant powdered milk for baking, not a notfat product I don't believe, I used to keep in stock when I was a fanatical bread maker largely for the very reasons, which are good reasons, you outline. But the contemplative reducing of whole milk showed me the way to yogurt.

Also never seen a whit of SatC, but many cupcakes. When my child was in elementary school some teachers banned commercial cupcakes as birthday treats because of the awful lurid-colored trans-fat mess the inch-high frosting would inevitably make. (I supported them in this, for my own reasons of being disgusted by such cupcakes. Teachers don't really like the interruption of birthday treats anyway, and I don't much blame them. Didn't stop me from providing homemade cookies on my son's relevant days, however, did it.) While they never went away, a necessary precursor to coming back, I think that the increased attention paid cupcakes is just another one of the many many many innumerable uncountable instances of regular old everyday or childhood or what is now called unfortunately "comfort food" having had the dubious light of pseudo-sophistication shown on it which we are supposed to all then say, ooh isn't that CLEVER isn't that EDGY isn't that WHATevah. Years ago, in some food mag or another, Milliken and Feniger demonstrated their painstakingly handmade version of a Hostess chocolate cupcake, complete with cream filling and white squiggle. It was witty, and I can imagine they sold 1000s of them at their restaurant of the time. Their customers were the Hostess treat generation supreme, and were the right audience for the statement. I have served cupcakes as dessert many times at dinner parties... I like to bake them in regular and reduced-calorie sizes in regular and mini size pans. Those exercising portion control appreciate it, and everybody gets the joke. A stand like Maggie scored would make a great way to serve exquisite birthday or other event cupcakes. (Which is probably how you plan to use it, M.?)

Made the Creamy Dark Chocolate Sorbet (p. 431) the other day... instant new household standard. SO good. Dark, glossy, beautifully scoopable, deeply chocolatey. As close to Berthillon as I've come in my own kitchen, although I always thought theirs was an actual ice cream, with a custardy egg base. However after tasting this I am not so sure. Edit: Realized later I hadn't thoroughly checked for others having made this recipe. My apologies. Turns out Jean Blanchard had, with a similarly positive evaluation. Yay!

Powdered milk seems like it used to be recommended as an addition to homemade yogurt in old-fashioned "health food" literature of years ago. Persistent bad if not haunting nightmarish memories of powdered milk's chalkiness would preclude my using it in my own cooking. (Ya, and if good cooking is what I'm after why was I reading those self-styled so-called soi disant "health food" abominations in the first place, eh?) A Bulgarian friend taught me to make yogurt according to how his grandmother in the Old County made it, solving forever (for me) the Yogurt Question. A good question to have solved in life. Only whole milk, simmered to reduce its volume by about a quarter or even a third, allowed to cool until a finger can comfortably stick in it for several long seconds, couple tablespoons (for a half gallon; quarter cup for a gallon, for major yogurt heads) excellent purchased yogurt as a starter, and then swaddle the bowl lovingly and forget about it overnight or for 24 hours. Done. My Bulgarian friend only ever used a special Bulgarian blanket to swaddle; I don't have anything similarly talismanic for the task. Perhaps a resolution for 2007. I read Chuck Williams somewhere saying that his yogurt-making teacher, who was Armenian, specified that a cross must be inscribed in the top of the inoculated mixture before setting aside. I don't do that, either, although again, perhaps I ought.

I kept chickens for several years, and while they are a hazard to any tender food crop, I allowed them to roam around whenever possible with supervision. (Their enclosure was a large pen with a tall fence... by itself not adequate protection from local SoCal predators: raccoons, coyotes, hawks, owls.) As night fell they would take themselves into their coop. They do provide excellent pest control, even eating snails and slugs, another bane of sproutlings. However without said supervision they can, as mentioned, decimate a garden.

Under the guise of "tasting," the male 2/3 of my household will put ragu on bread and make a sandwich, a very rich little sandwich. We have been known too to use leftover ragu as a topping for homemade pizza, with the aforementioned mozz. Excellent. Melkor, good blog so far. What do you do with the lingcod you catch? I like that fish very much.

Rachel, lovely blog. The food, the stories... all excellent. Not to mention the dish and glassware. What a treat.

Rachel, you just do what you need to for Chris, and don't give us a second thought. We will, however, be thinking of you.

Pretty Kitty! She looks like a Russian Blue. And pretty pink breakfast plate. Izzat Waechtersbach?

Rachel, this is almost too good for words. But, more words, please, and lots of 'em. And the loveliness your blogging provokes in people is beeyootiful.

Wow Erik cute kitties. Two of my present three are sisters, the first siblings I've adopted. But: !!! I've been searching for this! Has a method or recipe been here on eG somewheres all along? Local poms are cracking ripe. I like your local market... it is an incomparable gift, one's local market being a good one.

Wow the Flaming Gully looked good. And the pasta--Wednesday spaghetti night, now that's something to look forward to. Not to slight Taco Tuesday. Your kitties are giant, esp. for being girls. Very very pretty. Do you know Naomi's Antiques to Go, on Polk? Not too far from Swann Oyser Depot. I feel certain Naomi would have a vintage American dinnerware pattern that would be perfect for your kitchen.

Soy plastic seems like a decent use for Monsanto's Roundup Ready GM soybeans, if we must have GM soybeans in the world. I wonder if it was beautiful like its contemporary Bakelite?

Thank you, Chef Carey. Caprese + bread & wine makes one of the perfect meals of the Universe. Thank you, Rachel. I envy your held-over tomatoes. I find myself concerned now, though, about just how long kitty will be denied access to her chair. And thank you, Steve. Just last evening we harvested a few small surprise stragglers off of the sad-looking vines. Superintense flavor, excellent accompaniment to steak and the last half of Oliver! Ray Davies' songs can carry a person through her whole life. "Celluloid Heroes" was my favorite lullaby to sing to my baby, when he was a baby. "20th Century Man"? I ask you, is there a better song? More men should affect velvet suits, as well, in my opinion. The car interior Dave the Cook will have to tell us about... the art is again his handiwork. I spy an aftermarket cassette player, and what is that circular dial, a tachometer? And I didn't even mention to Dave that we'd just powered though all three Fast and Furiouses!

Andrea, this is wonderful. Truly, where would the world be without hardworking cooking French dressmakers. Can't wait to get your book. I am wondering if you have any current favorites in Little Saigon--restaurants, but more especially markets and bakeries.

Well wow you kinda did leave me speechless. No mean feat. And for all the right reasons. Awaiting future installments with similarly baited breath.

One of those life-long ponderments. I suppose it'd be considered categories. Although the categories themselves are not arranged alphabetically but idiosyncratically, authors within are, and their works by title within. Some things I just want to put together, and so let it happen; Russian and Japanese, for instance, near each other. I have always thought of it as symbolizing hope for resolving the historical Kuril Islands dispute. Like Torakris, I know where everything is, and had better be the one to replace volumes if they are to be found the next time. The cookbooks are more easily negotiated by others than the records, whose filing system I have never been able to explain. Course I bedevil myself sometimes, like where did I put "Raw Power," is it under P for Pop or S for Stooges or perhaps O for Osterberg.

Leaving aside whatever anyone may think of the particular opinions expressed in the article, I feel compelled to say that Nora Ephron's food-world credibility is beyond reproach. She was pretty much one of the people driving the bandwagon. I have always admired her righteousness, whether writing about feminism or food. (Not that she has been limited to these subjects.) She also combined the two, far too infrequent a mix, I think. Would be very interesting to get her thoughts on the only-middle-aged-biddies-complain canard, for instance.