Priscilla

Thank you CDH, Tsquare, Beanie, Jason... good leads to try. In the interim I found a green peony rosette at Upton , and had my memory jogged as to where I had some from years ago, Silk Road Teas, which has several on its tea list.

Seeking sources, preferably online, of what is sometimes called chrysanthemum tea: Tea leaves bundled and tied, to be used for multiple infusions. I would be interested in hearing about any type of tea, although lightly oxidized is a personal preference.

Thanks for the pumpkinseed oil thoughts, Ludja. I had a 375 or 500 ml bottle I got at a fahncy market here in Southern California, something like $12 from a nice lady demoing oils & vinegars that she was importing herself. Having the opportunity to taste it that day I could tell it was fresh and good-quality; I am chary of those perfume-size bottles with the high prices. We went through it very quickly, using it with white-wine vinegar to dress salads with Mexican pepitas (wonder how/if they might be related to the Austrian) and goat cheese. So good.

Ah, thanks Torakris. Both make sense!

Last night, late: Pizza, for which I had made the dough and then got out of the way. The Man of the House made two varieities, both with red sauce, considerably more trad than usual, and just what was wanted. One had sausage and mozz, and one had panko'd fried eggplant left over from another dish, a little Parmigiano Reggiano & Pecorino Romano, and mozz. Crispy bracingly-dressed autumn salad mix. 2000 Callaway "Coastal" Cabernet, as they call it; regardless, it was soft and good with the food.

When adding sake or shoyu or other liquid to the rice cooker for takikomi gohan, is this in addition to the regular amount of water? Also, the hijiki versions ... I have dried hijiki. Would I reconstitute the seaweed first? And how much to add?

Ha! Candy corn! Mind-bending and sensible, all at the same time! Last evening, nice small chicken, butter-salt-pepper, roasted not too fast, basted frequently. Landed on top of crispy bracingly-dressed autumn spring mix. Perfect ciabatta from the Japanese French baker. Inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon with a chatty label explaining how the winemakers were just regular guys.

Mole, yum. Last evening, menchikatsu (fried ground beef cutlet), some with cheese inside, some without. Sashimi of toro & hamachi, + spicy tuna. Rice. Broccoli florets with Kewpie for annointing. Miso soup with extra-soft tofu & scallions. Napa pickle. Cold sake.

Oh my goodness how good everything looks. Including the teensy beer, how civilized. Adam, I gratefully anticipate the pumpkin seed information. I am in the market to restock my Austrian toasted pumpkin seed oil so any possible online source would be SO appreciated. (Maybe Ludja, too, can help with this.) Izzat little Krumpus up there a pretzel? Or is that pearl sugar?

LMF, that multi-tone marble is gorgeous. You must have picked the slab yourself, eh? FM, I am SO making that Wolfert dish, esp. since I have the book and I just saw some beautiful eggplant. Last evening, excellent bratwurst from the German meat man. Poached until barely cooked through, browned on the outside to finish. Proper bratwurst rolls from the German bakery. Dusseldorf mustard. The market's German potato salad, cooked sauerkraut, and coleslaw on the side. Fleischsalat, meat salad, with their fabulous rye bread to start.

On a less lofty plane, two things. Meat of whatever type that is too lean makes an ungood sauce, in my opinion. And, what about storage. I think this sauce improves a great deal upon sitting, and I have kept mine in the fridge for periods of time that would scandalize some people. I don't freeze too much in my kitchen, but I have been experimenting with freezing some of my last few batches, and I like the results--there is the melding and mellowing I'm looking for. And it is wonderful to have the results of such a long-cooked staple to hand quickly. Any thoughts from ragumeisters would be appreciated.

Hee hee! I totally forgot about your penne, Wendy! So true, so true. We ARE great! ← Hey girls.. I had penne carbonara on Tuesday! ← I had penne carbonara TWICE last week! It's the perfect dinner for one after a long day at work. In a big bowl, hunk of bread, so comforting.... ← OK I know I didn't use penne, and I know I didn't post a picture, but I did have pasta carbonara this week too, AND Sangiovese! Doesn't that count for SOMEthing?

I have two types: A lovely new-old (when I found it) vintage Revere ware fondue pot which uses the "cup of fire," and it's quite OK for keeping the cheese mixture going. I do melt on stovetop in a different pot, however. Also have an (I think) Oster electric, not very attractive, not least because of the trailing cord, but also just--not very attractive. Works, however, and is non-stick inside which does make it easy to clean. Good at maintaining temperature, although even when using this one I melt on stovetop. It is a lower height than those on separate stands, making it easier to use. But haven't done the oil thing.

Because it's finally what passes for cool weather here in SoCal I was able to make something like carbonnade. Made carbonnade, in fact. And a fire in the fireplace. The ingredients had serendipitously presented themselves to me, big old yellow onions, nice-looking piece of bottom round (a cut I otherwise would never ever buy, but which is right for this dish), superconcentrated beef stock in the freezer, beer. And dinner was somewhat delayed but of course that was a feature not a bug. Very yellow yellow potatoes sent through the old ricer and then seasoned and enriched with butter and cream. (I had planned plain boiled potatoes but was overruled by the Mash Faction, for whom the mention of potatoes on the menu has an effect not unlike that of the semi-bumbling Stargate Atlantis crew awakening the hibernating Wraiths.) LBB sourdough, saltylicious Tillamook butter. Crisp cold bracingly dressed autumn salad mix on the side, perfect foil. More of the beer used for the dish.

Wow. That is one incredibly cool gift!

Nice cod from Whole Foods, seasoned, flour-egg-panko'd, bunged into high-heat convection. When crispified, landed on crispy autumn spring mix, bracingly dressed with Balsamic and olive oil, and then topped with a dollop of vastly reduced heavy cream which had been enriched with pesto. Aiming for, once cut into, all the juices running together in the salad greens; achieved! Ciabatta from the Japanese baker--unreservedly, again, Best Ciabatta Ever. Saltylicious Tillamook butter. Whole Foods' Solis 2000 Zinfandel, not bad, but wouldn't pay any more for it neither.

Last evening a very good pantry dinner, pasta carbonara. If pantry can be assumed to include fridge, of course. Beautiful crisp salad of autumn spring mix with the welcome seasonal increase in frisee, and LBB soudough with saltylicious Tillamook butter. The Sangiovese again that the wine store guy recommended the other week.

Lucy, entirely heavenly. The body of the consomme and its golden color -- just mouthwatering. Not to slight the garni! How unusual (or not!) is it to serve fresh-from-the-oven bread with the cheese? Your special-occasion china is lovely. What maker/pattern? And, in your proprietary Creole spice mix, about those dried shallots. I assume I could use the dried shallots from the spice section of Middle Eastern markets.... (Is this the only application garlic powder finds in your kitchen? I have 1 single garlic powder secret.) Merci Madame!

I just wonder if a big old honkin' turkey might not benefit from a couple days' allowing the salt to do its thing. I also like the idea of more time for air-drying the skin. So, maybe two days next week. And then into the old Weber at a pretty low temp for a long time.

I've also been turning over the idea of salting rather than wet brining--appeals for many reasons. Melkor, is 24 hours optimum? Would there be an appreciable difference, good or bad, with two days in the fridge?

Susan--French-style, arranging the food on platters and then serving from the platter at table, with two spoons, or in our case, a large spoon and fork, held in one hand. I have seen it called Russian style as well. Starting with the most special guest or eldest female and working down through the hierarchy. When our child was very little, before he was doing the serving, we served him first. When everyone is served, we say cheers and clink glasses, and only then we begin eating.

I have ordered excellent uni from Catalina Offshore Products.

Hey, that's the shrimp dish I made a few days ago . I thought it was a little too one dimensional in flavor though, needed some garlic and maybe a little acidity. ← Hee hee sorry Elie! I did note your gorgeous photo but yesterday did not twig to the fact that it was the same exact. And, my shrimp had already lost their heads, unfortunately. (FM post about the shrimp dish.) I agree, it is a bit mild -- but I had a goodly dose of garlic in my married potatoes and that suited me at the time. Good dish, though, good-looking, fresh and light -- I was thinking that made with tiny shrimp it would be a great bruschetta topping for a starter. Filed that one away. I also thought a finely chopped jalapeno in there would not go amiss in future. I cooked the veg a bit more than Mario's cryptic directions indicated, and allowed the Marsala to reduce quite a bit, to intensify the flavors.

Priscilla: Is that like a potato cake? Please explain. I have all of Marcella's books except that one. Thanks. ← Hee this is funny. I couldn't find an online source for the recipe, but in searchng for an eG reference, Basilgirl, I found that we'd been here before, a little more than 2 years ago! Hee hee. It was in Varmint's potato topic, and Heather chimed in as well. Such a good dish bears serial revisiting. I like that particular Marcella book, too, although of course they are all beyond worthwhile. The eG link has a summary of the dish, but I would be happy to PM you the recipe from the book.

Last evening, to accompany a longtime fave, Marcella Hazan's married potatoes, potatoes married to mozz, from her Marcella's Italian Kitchen, was shrimp with Marsala, a recipe from Mario Batali. Currants, pine nuts, capers, all supported the hit of Marsala very nicely, also made use of a tomato and basil and mint from the garden. Nice redleaf salad bracingly dressed with Balsamic and olive oil, and part of a foccacia I had made the other day. Rosemont Shiraz-Cabernet.