Priscilla

Listen, Tommy's fairly stable by eGullet standards. Terrifying, isn't it? Tommy is surely as stable as he needs to be. It's just that his throwing down the gauntlet there, sounded a little, dunno, competitive, and everyone seems to like polls and such so well. Topically, I prefer utility drawer to junk drawer. Gives one something to live up to.

Cataplana, which I'd seen pictured but didn't know the name of, is a good one, Blue Heron. Raclette is an interesting case, I mean, it's the cheese AND the resulting dish. Is raclette the cheese ever used another way? (And I wonder if you could advise, from your unique Swiss-informed perspective--is the raclette I often see at Trader Joe's any good?)

Lookit! I'm a Beat! And all this time me thinking I'm a Romantic.

Yes, of course, if I have anything to say about it. Actually a THREEfer, the way you spell it out up there. What I meant was the invocation of pot au feu got me thinking.... Like hoe-cake, in that the vessel, in the case of hoe-cakes a hoe in pot au feu a pot, as conveyor, gives its name to the resulting dish. Wow this is making me hungry for pot au feu. Pretty clearly going that direction, from vessel to food.

Timbale! (Among others.) Good selection, Cabrales. But Wilfrid, is pot au feu the name of the cooking vessel itself as well as the dish?

I much prefer true cooking shows to the l-i-t-e travelogue types. David Rosengarten's Taste was a pleasure to watch, and often loaded with good information. One of the best aspects of Iron Chef is seeing a whole lot of cooking going on.

Meaning, does it belong? A casserole is both a dish and a dish....

Over in the Peasant Origins discussion there was mention of dishes that are named for the dish in which they are cooked. Adam Balic cited tagine, the stew of Morrocan origin and its special cooking vessel of the same name, and also French cuisine's tall marmite, which sometimes holds a stew also so called. And terrine, of course, describes both contents and container. Less specific, but strongly identified, is casserole and cocotte and gratin. Is paella cooked in a paella? Is a pudding basin ever called a pudding? Do hoe-cakes count? ...Other instances of the dish-naming-the-dish, o eGullet members?

This would be a good topic. And then there's gratin, and casserole. Cocotte?

Maybe a Medications questionnaire, over in Poll Station, is in order.

S'right, Malawry. Here is a previous butter-related discussion, and here is another. In case anyone else is interested.

Like Liza, I tend toward the Pomi-in-a-box for boughten tomatoes, which get a lotta disrespect in magazine taste tests, for some reason, but taste good and perform well for me. Plus, and this is a big plus, no citric acid, which, especially in combination with the taste of a can, obliterates so much tomato fruitiness. But not at this time of year, neither!

And you both have reminded me that there is the dregs of a chocolate sorbet in my freezer, which, while successful in its time is now certainly beyond stale and which I will chuck, forthwith. Thanks as always.

Saturday a nice 2-lb. piece of halibut, which the guy cut from a huge slab, like to see that, grilled. Smashed White Rose potatoes in deconstructed fully-loaded-baked-potato fashion, sour cream, bacon, a load of chives in there, salad of radicchio and avocado, which I like the way they look and taste together, hardly dressed with red-wine vinegar and olive oil, black pepper and sea salt. Chunk of Lurpak melting on the halibut. Sourdough.

Wow that was a lovely, evocative writeup. And congratulations on your anniversary!

Rachel, are the leaves of your sage this year especially huge? Wondering if it's nationwide, or just a West Coast thing. Liza, I would be glad to share with you.

Suppose you could use dried mint, Nyfirepatrolchef. Maybe in the proportion other dried herbs appear in the sauce originally? Certainly worth a try.

As covered elsewhere as well, my sage has got gigantism this year, too. I'm calling it Pacific Giant Sage, that's what I'm calling it. Making good use of it, and looking forward to the various frying treatments described above. I like to use sage with summer squashes, which I think as a group often need careful cooking to make them really worthwhile. This year I'm growing an old variety of patty-pan squash, Benning's something, I think it's called, and it's pretty good, nice and dense, with good flavor. I've been making gratinates, slicing it across, (not crosswise into rounds, but the other way) sauteed after dredging in flour and egg-washing like an old Italian guy told me to do with eggplant a long time ago, and layering the sauteed slices with gigantic sage leaves and thin-sliced tomatoes and Pecorino Romano (seasoning each layer, of course), and baking, drizzled with olive oil. Especially good at room temp. Elevates all components. Plus it is my favorite herb for marinara.

Have been able to begin harvesting Sun Golds. I think their many supporters are probably 100% correct--they just may be the best-tasting tomatoes ever!

Blue Heron's fruit salad sounds good, doesn't it? I eternally have a lot of mint and assiduously intend not to take it for granted. Fresh mint tea, if such a thing might possibly revolve in the Tommy Universe, is lovely any time of day or night. Infused a bunch into simple syrup I made for iced tea, also pressed into use for drinkies later, doubly earning its keep. Doesn't use a tremendous lot at a time, but making marinara according to the method I outlined in that Red Sauce Thread now receding into the mists of history and using mint as the green herb is very very delicious. Of course everybody knows about the delights of tabouli, with lots of exceedingly finely minced mint in combination with the similarly-prepared parsley, right?

Yeah, definitely, chilis, and maybe at times tomatoes, diced, and bacon, cooked. Maybe some kinda cheese. People will WEEP, guaranteed. Oi!!! Isn't it like, um, nearly dawn, where you are? Get some sleep, dream dreams of great snowy drafts of mashed potato punctuated by savory inclusions like fresh jalapenos, diced (cooked) bacon, tubular chives, grating cheese. And then get up tomorrow and do it all again! Also while sleeping let's think up a name to replace "twice-baked"; something long overdue, don't you agree?

No no no, Tommy, you needn't defend mashed potatoes. They just ARE. Are themselves. No rip intended, on my part! I love how people love them! It's primal, or nearly so, I swear, the reaction people have to mashed potatoes. Raw tuna is not so far off too, as you suggest, I mean, it is so itself. Perfection, unto itself. Anyways, WHAT do you think of the deconstructed baked-potato-with-everything? I mean, TALK about parcels of flavor! Dinners guests weep, which is of course one's objective. And, the chives in there look cute.

Oh, it's true, what Suvir is saying, mashed potatoes are not the most fascinating dish in the universe. However, as Suvir himself certainly knows, people REALLY like them, and so cooks are behooven to make them from time to time. What I have done sometimes that is good is part of a continued exploration of the deconstructed this and that, in this case the baked-potato-with-everything, i.e., cooked, bacon, sour cream, chives, after the carefully mashed (riced is best) potatoes are seasoned and nominally creamed and buttered as per usual. Other good variations, too, are possible.

Of course I despise and decry wordplay, but this got me thinking about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and how he said, "God is in the details." Could be relevant.

Rochelle, major congratulations. Plus thank you for additional exciting, detailed reports.