slbunge

Interesting story. Every hit I got when I googled about Shiraz in Iran seemed to be written as if the attribution 'home of the Shiraz grape' was in question.

Just a small point. Shiraz isn't an 'Australian' spelling. Rather, it is a reference to the city of Shiraz in Iran where, legend has it, the grape variety was first cultivated.

Congratulations! Madison is a terrific city and August is a great month to move so you can get to know the downtown and the campus before the students arrive in force.

There is far less thermal mass in a thin pizza than there is in a two pound boule. Furthermore, since the pizza is spread more or less evenly across the surface of the baking stone, the conduction of thermal energy from the stone to the pizza is much more efficient that the conduction of thermal energy from the stone to the boule. 0.75" is fairly thick for a baking stone, BTW. Again, where you are going to run into trouble is with the third and fourth pizza (or boule). My response is 'it depends'. If cooking neopolitan-ish pizza, I think Sam is absolutely correct. What matters, there, is that you get radiation from a hot surface with a decent amount of thermal mass. The radiation cooks the crust from below. You can see this when using a stone in a standard oven because it takes a while for the cheese to melt and by then, the crust is done. For the bread, you are looking for heat to surround the loaf via convection. For this, you need the air within the oven to recover quickly giving you the spring and the lovely chewy/crunchy crust that the artisinal bakers get and we all wish we could produce. Regardless, I think that a 3/4" stone would produce acceptable results for either case and the most bang for the buck would be to see if you can get a sort of box of significant thermal mass around the bread/pizza. You will have significantly better radiation for pizza cooking, you will benefit from 'surround radiation' for the bread, and you will limit the airflow in the box allowing quicker convective recovery.

I like the bathtub picture. Is that a happy expression or a get-me-the-hell-out-of-here expression?

eGulleteer Jim Dixon has a website called Real Good Food where he has info about Tuscany and specifically Villa rentals there. Just a thought.

Hopefully you have seen the activity over in the onion confit thread. Lots of crockpot usage there.

We prefer Grade B or Grade C, both as pancake/waffle/french toast syrup and for cooking. Much stronger maple flavor, sometimes a bit of smokiness. We usually buy it in reasonably large bottles and keep it in the refrigerator. Great thread by the way. I'd love to be there when you fire up the sugar shack.

Yep. I usually avoid breakfast or I'd be famished by 10am.

You don't stand alone. I think about this stuff all the time and it affects my choices. I buy organic fruit when I can though I am not convinced it tastes any better. I would choose artisinal bread from a local baker rather than par-baked bread from LaBrea (see today's thread about NYT article) without attempting to evaluate whose tastes better. I admit to slightly cringing when Jaymes included the dreaded garlic salt in her salsa recipe (what about fresh, organic, fair-trade garlic). I have deliberately supressed memories of meals that tasted fine but service was horrible. As far as food is concerned, both taste and emotion play strongly into my enjoyment. Much of that emotion is based on raw material, preparation, presentation, service meeting my expectations.

Thinking about the potato/kale combination led that in John Thorne's book Pot on the Fire, he offers an essay about the potato and it's links to Irish history. In it, he indicates that historically Colchannon was made with either cabbage or kale. His Colchannon recipe is essentially as follows: Cook kale until just tender, shred it and stir into mashed potatoes moistened with milk. Turn the mixture into some onions that have been sweated in a skillet using bacon fat. Cut and turn the mixture with a spatula as it browns and serve hot.

It's not nearly as peppery as mustard greens. I haven't had collard greens in a while so I'm not certain how they differ. It tastes a bit less of soil than spinach. It tends not to produce the sort of filmy (almost gritty) feeling on the teeth like Chard does. Sort of reminiscent of cabbage. It holds its shape and some of its texture even after cooking for a long time. Similar to other greens, it can have a vaguely metalic taste, particularly when undercooked. I find that on it's own, it can be a bit flat but it has the nice effect of really deepening flavors when used with potatoes, beans or fish (or all three, I imagine). The idea of combining it with preserved Meyer lemons is definitely worth investigating.

Kale can be very good as a gratin. With enough bacon, cream, and pecorino romano cardboard would work fine in a gratin. My two favorite things to do with kale: Wilted and served underneath poached fish Potato kale soup with red chili

Here (Milwaukee) it is soda. Where I grew up, 80 miles west of here, it was pop. Either place, when purchased it was placed in a bag. Bubbler and water fountain seem haphazardly used. I hear both.

Absolutely agree that L'Etoile is a great place for convincing someone to move to Madison. Ask him to envision the Capitol square lined with vendors on Saturday mornings in the summer for a spectacular farmers' market. Oh, and if you like German white wines be sure to strike up a conversation with the server about the wine list. The Owner of the restaurant is married to a well-respected wine importer specializing in German and Austrian whites. I think that Madison's charm lies in the downtown area so my recommendations below stay reasonably close into downtown. I'm not sure if you will have a car. If your hotel is downtown, you could walk to any of these but if it is chilly, you may not relish a 15 block walk through unfamiliar territory. If you have a car, all will be easy to get to but you may have trouble parking, Breakfast I think that Sophia's is the best breakfast restaurant in Madison. The place is small, cramped, and crunchy. The service is...well...there really isn't any. That said, the baked goods, waffles, omelettes and all are phenomenal. Even the lowly blueberry muffin is so good you will want seconds. [831 E Johnson, 10 block walk from the Capitol] Marigold Kitchen is a very good breakfast place for egg dishes, pancakes, etc. The room is a tad more comfortable than Sophia's but missing the hippie charm. [118 S Pinkney, first block south from Capitol] If you are near the square and looking for really good coffee, try Ancora. This is the flagship retail store of some coffee roasters who really know their stuff. Seems like everyone else is so obsessed with the coffee drinks that a decent cup of black coffee is hard to find anymore. Ancora has it and I stop whenever I'm in town. Pass on the baked goods, they are only OK. [112 King Street, first block southeast from the Capitol] Dinner Restaurant Magnus is a fine choice and a great value. The setting is quiet and elegant although if the restaurant is full it can be a tad loud. I believe they have live music (jazz or latin jazz) on weekends in the bar. The food leans to flavors from South America. They do very well with fish. Don't miss the spanish cheese plate. [120 E Wilson, close to Pinkney St intersection, 608-258-8787] People rave about the Tornado Club for steaks. I'm not a fan of steaks so I've only been there once. The setting is sort of supper club (one of the old-guard of Madison supper clubs was in the building) with a young-ish, hip-ish crowd. I do remember that their bartenders were some of the best around with old-school cocktails. [116 S Hamilton, first block from Capitol going west, 608-256-3570] Harvest is probably too close to L'Etoile for a recommendation, although the food is quite good. They have a pretty good wine list as well. If you want something less spendy but with the 'feel' of what you are getting into by moving to Madison there is Himal Chuli. Nepalese food that is expertly prepared in a crunchy storefront. There is another Himalayan place down State Street one block but I can't think of the name right now. It is a bit fancier. [318 State, third block from the Capitol, no need for a reservation] Another less expensive place that is, perhaps, my favorite madison restaurant is Lao Laan Xang. Laotian food with very bright, clean flavors. The spring rolls are amazing. The garlic shrimp is nicely spiced with strong garlic and black pepper flavors. The coconut milk curries aren't as good as their dishes with sauces based on fish sauce. [1146 Williamson St, a 15 block walk east from the Capitol, 608-280-0104] Another selling point if the weather is warm (although if you will be there this week, that's probably a pipe dream) is to sit for a few minutes on 'the Terrace' on the lake side of the Memorial Union. One of the last student unions that serves beer and the terrace is a great place to meet friends if you will be working on campus. [Corner of Langdon St and Park St]. Hope that helps, hope you have a great trip, and hope the sales pitch is successful. Edit: removed clunkiness, added format

Actually, there is some historical reason to choosing 'squid ink' as an ingredient. The latin name for cuttlefish is Sepia officinalis and, apparently, the ink from the cuttlefish was originally used as the very deep brown tint for photographic film. Think sepia-toned photographs or movies. In the US, squid ink is as close as you will get to cuttlefish ink. The color is quite similar but the flavor of cuttlefish ink is more delicate. The black and white contrast that you will certainly get if you serve squid ink pasta or, better yet, squid ink risotto is the wonderful (temporary) black staining of people's white teeth when they smile.

Wow. I want your job. Actually, check that, I likely wouldn't have any idea how to do your job so I just want your office. Beautiful building and beautiful surroundings. Thanks for posting. This is interesting stuff.

Hmm...a little dry ice, a plastic-lined shipping container... Shall I PM you my address?

The theme of my favorite breakfasts always seem to be a runny egg yolk. Well done hash browns with fried eggs (over medium), and buttered wheat toast. Soft polenta with spinach and poached eggs. Griddled polenta with fried eggs and cooked red salsa. And, of course, breakfast is always served with a hot cup of strong, black coffee.

Reading this thread makes me wonder if there is a default garnish for a classic martini (read: gin and vermouth, stirred). Seems like lemon twist or olives are always called by the consumer. I prefer either no garnish at all or a decent quality green olive that is not stuffed.

I agree. Wash them or rinse them in very hot water and wipe away the wax. Or use organic lemons that aren't coated. That's what I do when I am planning on using the zest.

I agree that Sheboygan is har more heavily associated with the bratwurst. For Milwaukee, it is either frozen custard or the friday night fish fry (or both). The fish fry could be argued to be regional but you can't tell that to the folks who will gather at Serb hall tonight.

You're safe from the wax with iceberg lettuce. I think.

See the Sweet Maria's Vacuum Coffee Brewers page for more details. It's in the nature of vacuum brewing that the extraction of the bean's essence is done at the perfect temperature. The nature of the process by which the water is drawn through the filter rod area, infused and then deposited in the serving carafe ensures this. I'm a much bigger fan of drip coffee than I am of press pot as my chest is already hairy enough. I do have a Bodum vacuum brewer on order and will report back here after I've played with it for a few days. Thanks for the link. It does satisfy my need for information but I'd like to hear about your experience. The method looks simple and sort of 'scientific' because of the multiple glass containers. I can't help but think about chemistry lab...and I also think it must look a little like making moonshine. Along another line, if I don't have a burr grinder (perhaps I should say 'yet') am I better off having it ground by the purveyor of the beans and tossing them in the freezer or using Jason's-hairy-chest-style grinder?

How could anything made from motor oil be safe to consume? It isn't made from motor oil. Motor oil and petroleum-based, food-grade wax do share crude oil as a raw material. And what is crude oil but the remains of prehistoric critters ('fossil fuel') mixed with various impurities (sulphur, etc). Can it be refined to the point that it is not harmful to the human body? The FDA says 'yes'. I'm sure there are many who say 'no'.