slbunge

The folks at Bonny Doon sent bottles of Angelica in the most recent 'club' shipment. Had never heard of it before. Apparently Angelica was originally produced by Franciscan missionaries in CA. They used the mission grapes they grew and added the juice to a clear brandy from the same mission grapes. The result was a sort of fortified wine that I believe was aged in barrels. Bonny Doon's version (the only version I have tried) is quite interesting. Intense grape smell with a bit of booziness to it (18% alcohol). Easy to drink with a big, rich mouthfeel and some sweetness although quite a bit less sweet than most ports I have tried. Paired well with a selection of cheeses that we had laying around. There is some more information from Bonny Doon on their online store here (click on 'All Wines', then 'Club Wines' and it can be found on page 2). The history is pretty interesting but apparently it isn're a very popular offering anymore. Anyone else had any experience with Angelica?

When I was a teen in São Paulo Brasil, my dad came back one day with one of these monsters. It was about five foot high and four foot in diameter, all hand-hammered copper. Guess who got to polish it? ← But does he (or you) still have it?

Head shops, dive bars (anyone remember the place at Wisconsin and M that turned into Banana Republic? That was the beginning of the end), used clothing, no-name jewelry and clothes stores, restaurants....almost all gone now. Why go to Georgetown and shop at the same crap stores they have at any suburban mall? ← I visited a friend who was in school at Georgetown a number of times in the late 80s and remember the same thing. In fact, I distinctly remember a Greek Pizza (?) place on M that had a sort of house party-band and stayed open (and served beer) very late. When back to the area last year, I was surprised by the fact that I could have been in any gentrified-urban-shopping-street-cum-tourist-mall in the country, all the same stores and restaurants. So, are the economics such that the locals can't make it or are they deliberately trying to attract these chains thinking that they are giving the people what they want?

I love it also. It is slightly too close to home for comfort. I'm there a bit too often. It is even worth going out in weather like this to get to.

Is the shrimp fleet governed by the same rules as the scallop fleet? Do they lose their days because of bad weather or do they get to just postpone? I would hate to see people out risking lives with ice building on decks and railings because of those rules. The tragedy of those sailors out of New Bedford shouldn't be repeated.

Same perperation for us on Sunday. Same as what we did most of the time last year. Same. Same. Same. Same. And it was perfect.

This is interesting. Oak burns fairly cleanly, particularly if it has been seasoned well, but should still give a reasonably smoke. Was this outside or in a fireplace? Woodfired ovens, as opposed to fireplaces, are designed reasonably low to roll the smoke so that it 'touches' to food and provide flavor. Same process when using a kettle grill. Home fireplaces, on the other hand, have a 'smoke chamber' that is sort of up and out of your field of view. This is the area where the smoke from your burning fire is supposed to roll and get organized before going up the flue. If you were outside, I would think that the issue would be how close the pan was to being 'in the fire' as opposed to up and out of the way. The lower the pan is to the fire the more chance you will get the smoke flavor. Regardless, you may not get sufficient smoky flaver to counter that squid ink which is fairly dense. I know, now, that I need to find out more about that recipe. Sounds fantastic.

Fiddlesticks. Worked a bit too well for me! So well, in fact, that a craving has ensued and I must go to the one local store that regularly caries Zaps. I should never read anything here before lunch.

Had an excellent shrimp/oyster Po' Boy and a cold beer for lunch at Domilise's the last time we were in New Orleans. Based on location and clientele I think it would qualify as a 'neighborhood' place. Dot Domilise was even working behind the counter the day we were there. 5240 Annunciation Street. I believe the neighborhood is Uptown.

Just to clarify, since I was there yesterday, Mix Bakery has changed it's awning and it now says 'MEI SUM BAKERY'. Grabbed a box of their 'almond crisp cookies' which are on a rack on the left as you face the women at the counter. Fabulous. Flaky pastry under a thin sheet of sweet almond glaze and sliced almonds. Yum.

Haymarket is an 'area' that is essentially an open air market. Not really a farmers' market, mostly just routine perishable foods bought at wholesale and sold outdoors at numerous stands. Mostly, buyer beware because the times I have been through there during sales the produce does not look that fantastic and isn't selling for terribly cheap either. Haymarket is just south of the T stop that bears the name. The market is on a few streets that are essentially on a line between Government Center and the North End. It was likely in the shadows of the old elevated central artery that is now becoming the Rose Kennedy greenway. When you say flowers, do you mean cut flowers? If so, you will probably find better selections in Chinatown. PM me if you want a specific recommendation. I agree with LindaK mostly except for Hammersley's. Our meal there was not terribly exciting. Felt that the high-end price was not justified. But, to continue her riff on choices in the South End, if you are the mood for warm stews that are nicely spiced there is Addis Red Sea Ethiopian restaurant on Tremont. In the same area is B&G Oysters which is pricey but there food and service are quite good. Across from B&G is the Butcher Shop which, again, quite pricey but they have charcuterie that you just can't find very many places in Boston, and good wines by the glass. There is a smallish pizza/ice cream place on the corner of Tremont and Berkley that has amazing concord grape sorbet (I'll think of the name, I promise). Speaking of ice cream, if you make it to Cambridge, be sure to stop in for a scoop at either one of the Toscannini places (there is one close to Harvard Square) or at Christina's in/near Inman Square and very near East Coast Grill. If you choose Christina's be sure to check out their spice shop next door. So much, so much.

Ah, this thread makes me think about all the water over the dam since I was in Austin in 1990 and managed to find my way into a what looked like a crunchy old grocery store converted into sort of a large natural foods place. I distinctly remember the nut-butter section. I was used to 'whole food' coops because we lived in Madison, WI. I didn't realize I was looking at the future but I should have guessed.

Amen. I constantly sing the praises of Matt Murphy's fish and chips with a cup each of homemade ketchup and homemade tartar sauce. I even hold my own against the snarkiest of souls who say that fish and chips should never cost more than $8 or whatever. I scoff and say that these people don't understand that it is a full service restaurant with some of the consistently best house bread and a heaping helping of both fish and chips. Then it all goes downhill as we order another pint. By the way, out in the same area as Matt Murphy is the JFK birthplace historic site (I've never been) in Brookline. Dok Bua is a great Thai restaurant also in the same general vicinity (actually closer to the JFK site than Matt Murphy) that might be worth a try if you are craving something spicy.

Maine shrimp were $5 per pound (special) at Whole Foods in Newton Saturday. The shrimp smelled fresh and came deheaded. Picked up a pound and prepared them (marginally) provencal with garlic, caper, lemon, and parsley. Very tasty. Though small and delicate, I found them quite easy to peel. I was not happy with the stock I made from the shells, legs, and roe. It had a sharp smell of ammonia and the flavor was weak with a slight ammonia taint. Curious because the whole shrimps smelled fresh, the flesh looked good, and they cooked up with a nice clean, sweet flavor. Any ideas?

If the weather is snotty, the Westin is actually part of a large, enclosed urban mall with a slant toward 'high end' retail. In addition, Osushi, which is in the area above the Westin lobby is decent sushi for the area, particularly for lunch. Your hotel is sort of smack between Back Bay and the South End and that is probably a good thing. You are a handful of blocks from shopping on Newbury Street. The food options are not great, however. The South End has lots of trendy restaurants but most are sort of overpriced. South End Formaggio (little sister store to Formaggio Kitchen) is a pretty easy walk down to Shawmut Avenue. Great shop to pick up the makings for a fantastic lunch. Also, next door is a decent Syrian grocery that pre-dates the yuppy influx to the neighborhood. I am reasonably new to Boston so I am not the best tour guide for Chinatown (as the weather warms I will need to explore). I do know that Mix Bakery (actually, I believe it now has a Chinese name...36 Beach Street) has terrific Bahn Mi for $2. That and a sweet cream bun is one of my favorite lunches. North End is a great suggestion. You can make your way around and if you get cold there are some great cafes where you can drop in for shot of espresso. I'll try to think of more things as the day progresses.

There is also a good recipe on Epicurious (here) for Fleur de Sel caramels. This is the recipe I used over the holidays and had very good luck. Temperature control is critical to softness and my first batch came out a bit on the firm side which allowed me to get a feel for how well my thermometer calibrated to what they indicated in the recipe (mine may read low). Thanks Gary for the pictures. I don't have a three year old around and there have been times when there is cream on the stovetop. Arrgh!

Made soft caramels for holiday favors and we cut regular waxed paper into squares (4x4 inch squares for 1x1 inch caramels), wrapped the caramels on the diagonal and twisted the ends. Though chewy, the caramels did not stick to the paper, even after shipping home to family. In all, they looked a bit 'rustic' but everyone raved about what was found inside.

Be sure to let us know how you like your choices.

Perhaps more Piedmontese than Tuscan, but lightly steamed cardoons are the perfect vegetable match for Bagna Cauda (or Caoda with the little hat on the 'o').

At Tagines.com.

I'm thinking it is the wine drinking adults who are tipping the scales here. Previous generations have had much smaller populations who drink wine regularly (with meals or without). Seems like the burgeoning interest in wine amongst the US baby-boomers in middle to upper-middle class would definitely register as 'more alcohol consumed'. It would be interesting to know if Europeans also had a similar drop off of alcohol consumption as age increases. My hunch would be no. With regards to 12 drinks a year, it seems low to me. The trick is where do you draw the line. Likely it was out of convenience as the researches probably identified a clean statistical break there.

I think you can do a passable version in your enameled cast iron. I certainly have done it until I got a tagine this past Christmas (thanks, dear wife). If you use a clay tagine the goal is to cook in it regularly so that you impart the flavor history of all your dishes to your current dish. So you won't get that with your LC. Another thing about the tagine is that the cover fits reasonably tightly and there is a lot of headspace to make a nice large steam chamber above the food. And the steam cools on the tagine surface condensing and keeping things moist. So if your LC is large enough you can simulate a similar effect. If Ms Wolfert sees this she can certainly answer this better than I because it was her article about clay pot cooking that sparked my interest.

Had a very nice butterscotch pudding last night at a restaurant here in Boston. I hadn't had it since I used to make the Jell-O brand instant pudding version in the late 1970s.

What sort of pan/dish do you use. I make a similar recipe on the stovetop in enameled cast iron and it is a bear to get the carmelized milk off the bottom of the pan. I think the oven method would likely result in less sticking. I'm intrigued.

Tomatoes ride the line of pH where 'canning' (or jarring or preparing) using boiling water at atmospheric pressure is allowable. If citric acid is listed it may be because the producer chooses to can at reasonably low temperatures to better preserve the fruit's texture. It also could be for color retention. In general, all products that are pressure canned (elevated temperatures by elevating pressure) are safe regardless of acidity (think of canned peaches is heavy syrup).