Rachel Perlow

We stopped by Patisserie St. Michel this afternoon and were quite impressed. The shop itself looks threadbare, even worn down. But the pastries we sampled were amazing. We had a nice chat with Andre and he offered us samples of the Lemon Meringue and Pistachio Creme Brulee tarts (offered for sale as individual slices). Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera with us, so we didn't get pictures of those, but we bought a few other individual tarts and eclairs ($3 each), so pictures of those follow (we haven't tasted them yet). What most impressed me was the pastry shell on the tarts, even more than the filling (and the fillings were delicious). The crust was quite browned, very flaky and crunchy, with a good taste all its own. There were only a few whole cakes and tarts available, mostly everything was cut into portions. However, what they had looked very good, and the tart was a seasonal Plum Frangipan, available round with a butter crust ($19) or long with a puff pastry crust ($15). He also had coffee cake, chocolate cake, and opera cake available whole. The coffee cake looked very good, but I think we'll be stopping by again for a plum tart to bring to the Yom Kippur Break Fast at my mom's. Apricot Tart Mixed Fruit Tart Plum Frangipan Tart Chocolate (with Chocolate Pastry Cream) and Coffee (with Coffee Mousseline) Eclairs

I don't know. I have the Pro II, which seems to still be the top of the line model available. It is listed on Tilia's website for $319, but you can get it on eBay for under $200 (will total around $200 w/shipping). (There are still some being sold for over $200, but there are so many for sale on eBay that you should just stick to your guns and wait until a sale meets your price.)

Including a jar of honey would also be appreciated with those apples. Apples are traditional in this country, but the idea is to eat a new fruit of the season, something you haven't been eating all summer. A lot of people use pomagranates for that reason. My cousin once described their home that way to me. Basically, he meant that they are lacto-ovo vegetarian. Itch22, you may want to check if your brother-in-law's girlfriend is kosher before going to all the trouble of koshering everything. An orthodox girl who keeps kosher is very much less likely to be dating a non-jew than a girl who is pretty secular and doesn't keep kosher. She may very much appreciate an oyster sausage dressing as something she would never have had while growing up and might be dismayed to hear you went all vegetarian sides just because of her. If you have a couple vegetarian sides, everyone will be able to eat something. One note however, even though I don't keep kosher, and it is likely to share freezer space with pork chops, I highly recommend getting an Empire brand kosher turkey. They are only a little more expensive than other brands available in supermarkets, but unless you are going to order an organic free range fresh bird, it is liikely to be the least processed turkey available. It has already been kashered, which results in a similar taste and juiciness as a brined turkey. But it doesn't have all the gunk added to it, like a Butterball.

Pamela, welcome to eGullet, thanks for participating in this Q&A. I'm curious, how did you get started writing about artisanal Italian food products as an American? Was it hard to get to know the right people? Did you have any problems being accepted? How did you deal with it?

We forgot to mention that Pamela Sheldon Johns' publisher has agreed to a very generous book giveaway at the conclusion of this eGullet Q&A. Five winners will be selected who will each receive copies of her books Gelato!, Pasta! and Pizza Napoletana! So get your questions for Pamela posted ASAP!

It is such a coincidence that you quoted the Vichyssoise recipe, Really Nice!, as that is the very recipe I showed to Jason and my mother to explain how, not only the introductory chapters are full of Tony Bourdain's, let us say, unique voice, but so are the recipes. Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking by Anthony Bourdain, Jose de Meirelles, and Philippe Lajaunie However, this book is more than just a collection of vulgarities; it is a true cook's book. The way I see it, there are two reasons to buy the Les Halles Cookbook: First, you are Bourdain fan. Second, you love either Les Halles or French bistro food and want a cookbook with those types of recipes. As Tony himself points out, most of the recipes included in the book are bistro classics and are therefore available in similar forms in any number of cookbooks. So you would then still need to be a Bourdain fan to enjoy this book. I wouldn't buy it for anyone with sensitivities about being treated like a brand new immigrant cook/dishwasher "useless screwhead" by the author. If, however, your Christmas list is full of more hearty souls, this is the ultimate Bourdain book. You get a lesson in stock making that is practical and doesn't lecture you on the necessity of clarification. Succinct advice on knife buying and maintenance and how to assemble your "meez" (mise en place). The tip is there about dispatching a lobster before chopping it up for a bisque or blanquette de homard, but so is the warning that "it's really not that much help; the lobster is still going to move long after it's dead." Following the fish course, there's a lecture on French butchering for Americans; leaving out the obscure, but fully explaining the cuts available in the US and how to order them from your local butcher. Tony revels in the recipes for onglet and entrecote; followed by an admonition advising chopping steak tartare by hand. And, while the technique of grilled rumsteck for Steak frites is dismissed in a paragraph of the opening and concluding note of the beef chapter, the frites are given four pages in the full chapter on potatoes. Yes, there are chapters on Veal, lamb and pig (not pork), poultry and game, as well as "the big classics" (coq au vin, cassoulet, etc.). But, my favorite chapter that I will probably never get through is about "Blood & Guts." And while, I may not get my finicky husband to sample the recipes for tripes, kidneys, heart, tongue and liver, I have a feeling this is Tony's favorite chapter too. As with a good bistro meal, the book is concluded with a dessert chapter serving up very traditional fare. However, like in the restaurant, where the desserts are made by the pastry chef, I have a feeling that the recipes for chocolate mousse, clafoutis and lemon tart, et al, were composed by another. Most lack Tony's voice. Or, maybe he felt it best to leave the vulgarities behind when describing the heavenly clouds of Iles Flotantes? PS - Amazon has corrected the spelling of the sub-title. Review based on an advanced copy sent by the publishers. You can preorder the Les Halles Cookbook from Amazon.com by following the link above.

Forget the French language aspect, I think the coolest thing about the original post was how Lucy got a bunch of work friends/associates together to have a nice civilized meal at lunch time. Turning a conference room into a dining room with the addition of a tablecloth, sharing some homemade food, a bottle of wine and conversation not centered around work, was a stroke of genius. You should try to make it a weekly or monthly thing. The anticipation of its appointed day should make it an even more enjoyable experience.

Here's a link to buy that gadget: KitchenAid Jar Opener

I know the traditional thing is to wait on line for the pastrami, but I found that when you want to order more than one item (there's a separate line for each type of food), especially lox & eggs (is there a lox & eggs line?), it may be better to sit in the waiter serviced area.

Hmm, it may be worth investing in your own slicer (once you get the restaurant going). Assuming you can get one that slices 1" thick. Then you can buy any type of bread you want from any bakery you want. Did you check Balthazar in Englewood?

Kasha or potato knish

I just read through my Cook's Illustrated email newsletter and there was a whole section on this, although they didn't call it a Cajun Microwave, it sounds very similar.

Boil them and serve to 76 trombone players after the big parade.

If they are the nice big round red grapes, I cut them in half horizontally across the equator with a paring knife (not straight through, just about 1/3 of the way in all around the edge, then split in half), then pick out the seeds with the tip of the knife. Slows down the eating of them as well, which is good since grapes are such sugar bombs. I used to love green seedless grapes, but they really have very little flavor.

Uglesich's Restaurant Cookbook by John Uglesich I've gotta get me one of those!

The Garden State Wine Growers' Grand Harvest Festival is coming up in a couple weeks, October 2-3, 2004. We went a couple of years ago and had a great time. It takes place on a huge field at Alba Vineyard. It's a beautiful drive out there and a very nice setting. In addition to the wine tasting, there's music and food stands, although a lot of people picnic. Hmm, maybe some of us could meet up and do another potluck picnic?

Whoops, you're right. Morristown is C'est Cheese, Tenafly is Chez Cheese.

I was thinking the same thing, that there are two cheese shops that I know of with the name Chez Cheese, one in Morristown and the other in Tenafly.

I will never again add too much creamy stuff to adjust the color of jello... I was making the "Crown Jewel Dessert" for the NJ potluck, which is cubes of multi-colored clear jello inbedded in a creamy jello matrix. When cut it looks like stained glass. However, when I added the called for amount of yogurt to the strawberry jello, it didn't look creamy enough, so I added extra sour cream. It tasted good. Oh, and then I preceded to fill the bundt cake mold all the way to the top. It looked pretty for about the first 30 seconds, but I noticed that it was starting to overflow the sides of the plate (bundt cake travel lid, so exact diameter of the mold). It then proceded to crack and then completely fall apart into a multi-colored mess. Jason managed to snag a pic just before the meltdown, but you can see it beginning to happen. I hope nobody got a picture of the mess it made on the table.

I think that's Restaurant Depot. Hackensack Rest Supply in Bergenfield holds regular business, like till 5 PM, not retail, not late. Call for exact hours.

While not a tasting menu, per se, Tapas de Espana (two locations, Englewood and North Bergen) offers an extensive tapas menu. You could easily make a meal out of 2-4 tapas orders per person.

This makes me nervous. The pots are not already in the house? I'd ask the girls to please get them for you ASAP as you need to measure them to determine how much fondue to make. Like jello molds, you should fill them with water, then measure the amount of water they hold, so you know how much you need to fill them all. Then you will also be ready to refill them in necessary.

We finally remembered to take a picture of the Soup-filled Fried Shrimp Balls available at China 46. Thanks go to one of our Sunday brunch party who was too full to eat hers, so we were able to take one home to photograph it. BTW - it reheated perfectly well. Mmm. Whole Soup-filled Fried Shrimp Ball and Cut Open. Notice the square shaped depression where a cube of cold stock was enclosed in the shrimp paste. When you bite into it, fresh at the restaurant, you have to be careful not to burn your tongue on the hot stock. At home, I cut it in half to show off the cavity. The soup rushed out all over the plate. I sacrificed for you, dear friends.

Great pictures, funny captions.

OK, I've never had liverwurst. Not even tasted it. It's something my mother never bought and I've never even considered. However, all this talk of it and quick pate recipes and stuff makes me interested in trying it. I do like chopped liver, country pate, foie gras, etc., but don't care for most other liver preparations (i.e. where the liver maintains its original form -- liver and onions? blech). So, could someone please help a liverwurst beginner? Please describe what other liver product it most closely resembles in taste and texture. Is it a potted or canned product, or something you order at the deli counter of the market? Also, I can't buy or consume a lot of it at one time, because Jason absolutely freaks about liver -- doesn't want to see or smell it (he won't even taste foie gras when I've sampled it first and it mostly tastes like butter to me, not liver); and there's only so much a girl can eat at one sitting. Thanks.