Rachel Perlow

Ok, so how long and what temp? I just looked at a jillion stuffed mushroom recipes through a google search and the only one I could find that said to pre-cook the mushroom caps before stuffing is this one for the microwave. I just hate stuffed mushroom where the mushroom is undercooked or the stuffing gets watery from the mushrooms leaching their liquid. Here's a simple recipe, but it is kind of poorly formatted, but the ingredients are simple. I'd skip the wine and bake the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes before stuffing (cool first). Hmm, here's that recipe adapted as I describe above which should work. If you make it please let me know how it comes out and I'll add it to the recipe archive. Stuffed Mushrooms 1 lb. fresh mushrooms with caps (somewhat large ones) 1 Tbs. olive oil 1 minced medium onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 stick (8 Tbs.) butter 1 cup bread crumbs 1/4 fresh chopped parsley 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove mushroom stems and place caps emptly stem side down on a foil lined and lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until they have exuded some liquid, but are not fully cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool, preferably on a rack. Meanwhile, chop the mushroom stems. Heat a saute pan and when hot add olive oil, onions, chopped mushrooms and garlic, cook until the onions are translucent. Turn heat to low and add butter to pan to allow it to melt. Combine the bread crumbs, parsley and cheese. After the vegetables and butter have cooled a bit, mix in the dry ingredients. Using a teaspoon, mold a small amount into each mushroom cap. You can refridgerate or freeze for baking later at this point. Bake on a lightly oiled sheet pan for 15 minutes at 350 F if cold (about 20 if they are still frozen), about 10 minutes if cooking immediately.

If you par bake the stemmed shrooms (upside down on a rack) and then cool them before stuffing them, I think you could stuff them and keep chilled and bring to the party to bake.

Hmm, make ahead apps: Spanikopita Stuffed Mushrooms Crudite with Spinach Dip or Hummus Crab or Artichoke Dip with crackers Pigs in Blanket There are many recipes for Hors D'oeuvres and Appetizers in the eGullet Recipe Archive (click eG Recipes, above).

Haven't been lately, but that's the pizza that I ate growing up. Many's the memory of picking up a sausage pie to bring home, or stopping in for a slice after school. It is the pie I compared all others to and the reason I couldn't believe that people at college ate Domino's or Pizza Hut. I have been back since college and, while La Strada has good pizza, it doesn't compare to Kinchley's. They are completely different specimens.

Jeez - I just wanted people to be aware that there'd be little dogs with sensitive tummies who like to beg underfoot. Y'all're crazy nuts.

PS - if we come in the RV the poodles will be with us. Please don't feed them human food. Thanks.

The girl is still buying margarine and you want her to have two kinds of cornmeal??? I forgot to mention something about the cornmeal, if you bought the Quaker cereal kind it might not work well if you are making cornbread. You need cornmeal with the germ. I get it from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. Natural food stores may have it in the refridgerator.

Thanks for this info, they have RV sites, but without hookups. Still considering that RV option.

I'm sure they'll be open, but you may want to call first if there's something specific you want. Whatever we mentioned desiring, they basically said, "call us, we'll make it for you."

Also, keep in mind Elyse, she didn't even have flour in the house. But you are right about not needing everything on the lists. Figure out what you'd like to cook in the next few days/week. Buy the stuff you need for them, plus a few extra pantry staples. Each time you go shopping for something specific, buy a few more pantry items. That way it's not a huge shot to the pocketbook all at once.

Last night at Finks, we got to talking to the couple next to us at the counter. They pointed us towards this Italian/Greek deli/catering store. They made it sound so good, we went there for lunch today. I don't think most people actually eat there as they only have one table, but there was room enough for us to eat our sandwiches. We had the two varieties of chicken bruschetta they had today. (Yeah, I know that bruschetta is actually the bread, and they probably know this too, but in this case it means the Italian salsa thing on top of a breaded chicken breast, whatever.) They were great sandwiches, both with tomato & herbs, but one had sundried tomatoes & roasted pepper, the other had red onion & cheese. Both were fab and huge, we couldn't finish them and took half of each home. The reason we probably couldn't finish our lunch may also have to do with their sampling "policy." Not really a policy so much as a way of life. Ask about anything and you'll get a taste. We got a tour of the fridge too, to see the homemade butter that comes as a byproduct of the homemade mozzarella. You know how some (OK) storemade mozzarellas suffer from the salt? The unsalted has no flaver, the salted has too much? Well their's is perfect. Just enough salt to bring out the sweetness in the milk. Delicious. The cookies look like they came from somewhere else, but they insisted that Mama made them. We saw Mama peeking out from the back when we were checking out -- we've got to bring the camera here next time we go. We bought way too much. You don't want to know how much we spent. I didn't want to know. But they have everything you might be looking for, and nothing has prices on it, but it's all the best, so you truly get what you pay for. David Corcoran wrote about it in the NYT about 5 years ago, but somehow it's never been talked about on eGullet. Has anyone else been? Tell us what we shouldn't miss next time we go. Euro Gourmet Market 598 Broadway Norwood, NJ 07648 201-767-3322 phone 201-767-9802 fax

Rachel Ray, of TVFN's 40 Dollars a Day said on an episode yesterday enthused that the food at this particular place was "all made from scratch." she had a frittata. frittata can't be made from scratch?

BTW - I ordered the scallion pancake because a) it said scallion pancake deluxe on the menu, so I thought it might be the kind with pork & scallions and b) I'd never had them there before (obviously). They were OK, but not worth ordering again when there are so many better items on the menu. Get more dumplings instead.

For kosher salt, keep a small supply in a (small) container near the stove. Keep the big box on the top shelf in the back of the pantry (or just out of the way). Don't work directly from the box or the accumulated steam from pouring salt directy from the box will eventually clump everything up. Add to list: Frozen tiny peas Cornmeal (did ya get that cast iron pan yet? unseasoned but cheap available at any hardware store, seasoning's no biggie) Anchovie paste is good, keeps better in than an open jar or can if you don't use a lot at a time, and hence have leftovers from the jar or can) I don't bother with brown sugar. Just keep white & molasses on hand. Tea - for all the asian meals people are going to have you make with all that soy & mirin. Couscous is always handy Highly recommend getting the sesame oil - brown or toasted not black - a little bit added at the end of a stir fry goes a long way. Better Than Bouillion if you can find it, I keep the beef & chicken around.

But isn't Coquilles Saint Jacques a method of presentation, some sort of scallop gratin served in its cooking vessel? Ok, I want to know which chef would put this on his menu. Anyone have any ideas? Good one FG! Inventolux: Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz or you?! That means a sauce usually used on lobster. Basically, Lobster Cantonese is Lobster in Lobster Sauce.

I was surprised to see above that "shooting ends this week." Reading that it is brought to us "by a 'Survivor' exec," I thought this was going to be an ongoing project; that perhaps the server with the smallest receipts each week would be fired. I think Ripert hit the nail on the head with the word "shrewd." Obviously, Rocco got (or lucked into) a major investor (NBC) to finance a big new Manhattan restaurant, and my suspicion is, without the need to pay back said investor. The payment was having the cameras in the way during the pre-opening. I mean really, could there be any better advertising than having your own TV show? Don't you think, no matter what the food was like, that people would be lining up just for their chance to appear on an episode? Also, do customers have to sign a release before eating there?

Now, I would say the opposite, that shallow-fried, especially if done in Crisco shortening, needs to be eaten hot. Deep fried is generally cooked in liquid oil. When it is cold, any remaining oil is less likely to become apparent than shortening. Also, pan fried is so good, I can't imagine leftovers, whereas there is the occasional piece left over in a bucket o'chicken. And, that's what my mom would bring when they visted camp on parents' day (cold fried chicken) for a picnic by the lake. Edit: Please note, I have only had Popeye's once or twice and only in the last couple years, when we moved to our current location. The fried chicken of my youth was either Roy Rogers or Kentucky Fried (from ages ago, not recently, that chain has not getten better with time).

We met a nice couple tonight at Finks and they were raving about Azucar. I mentioned that we've never been because of my aversion to cigar smoke (big sign touting their cigar bar outside the place). They told me that there are big windows & fans venting the smoke so on a cool evening it isn't smokey. They loved the laid back atmosphere. Personally, I've never been, but may give it a try now that I'm hip to asking for a seat by the window. Edit: Great minds think alike.

Salice Salentino is a extrodinary good wine for the price. A matter of fact I have to take it off my list because customers found out how inexpensive it was at wine stores and stopped buying it. How much were you charging for it?

Jason forgot to mention the texture. On the Drakes cake you could tell the crumb from the cake in a positive way. With the Hostess, the crumb is the same texture as the cake, and since there is obviously less cinnamon it is a much inferiour coffee cake.

I don't see it when I look at the May "Table Hopping," Rosie. Link?

Just to confirm: Your brother was the physicist on the roof guy?

Ah, like FTV2 (like what MTV did with the videos).

We tried to do this last year at a park, and the problem was you weren't allowed to have any type of fire on site. Maybe with all the rain we've had this spring, that's changed. Isn't there a park in River Edge, Fink?

Yes, that menu looks similar to the one we were offered, with a few seasonal variations. It came to about $110 pp (inclusive). That's with a few glasses of wine & bottled water. The tasting menu looked very interesting and is offered for $85. A few of the dishes mentioned (the quail, peas, and the rhubarb tart come to mind) were sent out to us by the chef, as Jason & Marco had a nice chat before the others arrived (a lot of the staff read eGullet).