Rachel Perlow

In Ellen Shapiro's travelogue, "Mongolia. Seriously." she discusses the uses of and pictures horse, or rather mare, milking.

jo-mel -- just to add one more local place for you to try Lion Head Meatballs at: Beijing Duck House, 359 S Washington Ave, Bergenfield. That was one of the few dishes I had there that I preferred to C46's version. But you have to really convince them that you don't want american chinese food. Once you do come up with a working recipe, please post it to RecipeGullet.

I can't wait to come back and compare noise levels.

I believe I had some of the pickled crosnes (or pickled something-else-equally-obscure) and had to ask the server what they were. They didn't remind me of carrots at all. Usually, I'm the one at the table that can identify all the mystery ingredients. This was a completely new one for me.

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they take reservations.

Well, we bought ours the morning before our afternoon flight, and didn't eat any of it until the next day, since we ended up not eating it on the plane. I think it tastes better after it marinates for a day, the oil gets absorbed into the bread, etc., but I would refridgerate it when you got home, and if you have a mini-fridge in your hotel room, you could keep it in there overnight.

My cousin owns a mens clothing store in Brooklyn and uses a statnes tester. After they alter suits, for those who request it, they get sent to a shatnes on Coney Island Avenue, who checks the shoulder pads and collars.

You can get in an additional lunch if you just take that muffaletta from Central Grocery to go home with you. They keep real well, and make a great airplane lunch on your way home, so buy two (one for the plane, one for lunch on Monday) and travel with them in your carry-on bag. While you're at Central Grocery, buy a jar of their olive salad and you'll be able to make an approximation of their muffaletta a month later with that and some provisions from a local Italian deli. They also have the best prices on local spice blends and a huge collection of hot sauces (much better prices than at the French/Farmers Market across the street). So, now you have another lunch slot to fill, Yay! I say, Mr. B's for some of their amazing barbecued shrimp. (Edit: Just noting above post, great minds think alike)

When we visited Hearth recently with guests from out of town, one of the out-of-towners automatically requested (or assented to receiving? I was in the restroom at the time) bottled water for our table. Now, like I said I wasn't at the table, so I didn't see if the server was pushy with the bottled water or not, but at other NYC restaurants that is frequently the case -- like, when I request tap water I am uneducated or something. Frequently, however, NYC tap water tastes much better than some brands of bottled. So, anyway, what is Hearth's policy on water? Do the servers automatically suggest bottled water or does the patron have to bring it up? On a similar note, if a patron does not care to order wine (Hearth has excellent wine service, btw), what do you suggest they drink with their meal?

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I just did a google search. Many sources said similar things about the nuturitional value being similar to chicken eggs. Like Steven mentioned in the Egg FAQ (in the eGCI), on average chickens lay one per day -- whether or not they are exposed to roosters. That is their ovulation cycle, just like human females ovulate (whether or not they are trying to conceive, and of course on a once a month cycle). So that is why your bird is laying eggs. Do a search on cocatoo eggs and see if you can find anyone else eating them, be sure to report back.

If you are having trouble finding a wooden spatula, check at your local Asian grocery. I recently bought a wooden chan and I love it even more than my other flat wooden implement. The handle is longer and the wood is a little thicker, so it feels more substantial in the hand. Things my mother's kitchen doesn't have and I don't know how we grew up without: Sharp knives (she has cooking knives, but I remember using a steak knife to cut most things), Olive oil, Garlic (fresh, she has powdered lol).

Have you tried using a deep pot yet? I think this is so important that I wonder if the class should be edited to recommend this method?

Ooh, I just thought of another canape. What is that egg dish where you punch a circle out of bread and fry the egg inside the slice of bread. I'm thinking "Toad in the Hole" but I'm pretty sure thats more akin go sausages in pancake batter or something. Anyway, doing that with bread cut small for canapes with the quail egg in the middle. That would be so cute!

Thanks for the great post, I like your very visual descriptions.

I'm sure it would. However, the 1-qt pot was deep enough for the poached egg to form perfectly. I had no "boiled fried eggs" (I think of them as "nippley" ) when I used it. I think the eggs are so small that they form quickly enough for the depth of the pan not to be an issue (although I wouldn't use a skillet). A benefit of this is that it takes much less time for a smaller pan of water to come to a boil.

Please explain further... Is that scrambled quail eggs?

Yes, I know, but that procedure is not a slice, but supposed to be quick controlled, straight up and down, WHACK. I try not to go more than a 1/4" into the shell. The idea is to get a slice into the shell that you can get your fingernails into to pry the shell apart. It was the only way to get the raw egg out without picking off bits of shell in order for the egg to shloop out the opening (when using the flat crack method), and that usually resulted in broken yolks anyway. You could, of course, put some towelling between your fingers and the egg, for protection. But if I did that in the picture, you wouldn't be able to tell I was even holding the egg -- and there's no way to get a controlled whack without holding it. Anyone know of an easier way to get a raw egg out without breaking the yolk?

An excellent beginning to this topic can be found in The Book of Jewish Food : An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York by Claudia Roden.... Link to buy the book:

I just realized I put nothing in most of those photos to indicate scale. Just for reference, the knife I am using is a 4" paring knife, and the pot is a 1-qt saucepan. The eggs seem to average about 1-1.25 inches long.

Inspired by Jack's comment, I experimented extensively with Quail Eggs. See my post in the Cooking forum.

Quail Eggs Inspired by Jack's comment, I went to my local Asian grocery store in search of quail eggs with which to experiment. I'd never cooked quail eggs before and the following is the results of my tinkering. The Egg Itself First off, as you may know quail eggs are tiny, about 20% the size of a large chicken egg. The ones I found were 2 dozen to the package and cost approximately $3. They were not labeled with "purchase by" dates or "laid on" codes the way chicken eggs were. The shells were obviously dirtier (no, not the speckles, "dirt" (I assume quail poop, or something akin to that) and the odd feather), and several were broken. Concern about even the slightest chance of salmonella contamination, and knowing I was planning on soft poaching some of these eggs, I made sure to buy only whole, uncracked eggs (shuffling eggs between containers in the store). It also inspired me to wash the shells before cracking any eggs for cooking. Note the feather on this egg's shell. From my research on the web, I found that quail eggs are nutritionally similar to chicken eggs, proportional to their size. Also, quail (and duck) eggs may be more likely to be tolerated by those who have a chicken egg allergy. The flavor is similar but somewhat more delicate than chicken eggs. Poached Quail Eggs A poached quail egg is a beautiful touch on top of a green salad. Or, you could make a miniature Eggs Benedict as an hors d'oeuvre, mmm. When using the "tap on a flat surface" method Fat Guy and I found most effective with chicken eggs, I found quail eggs particularly hard to crack open and extract the egg without breaking the yolk. Therefore, I found it necessary to actually whack the eggs with a knife to get an edge clean enough to break the egg out of its shell. As mentioned above, I washed the shell with soap and cold water before doing this, as the American Egg Board advises against this method. Wash the shell before whacking it firmly with a knife In addition, since the eggs were difficult to break open, I found it easiest to do so into a small container rather than directly into simmering water. The egg in a little plastic cup (that's the whole egg, not just the yolk, the white is hard to see in the picture) Bring your water to a boil, add a splash of white vinegar and a large pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer and slide the egg into the water. I attempted this with and without the gentle whirlpool technique and the resultant poached eggs were quite similar. The egg just after being slipped into gently whirlpooled water I experimented on several eggs, testing how long to poach them. My optimum time was 1 minute 45 seconds. 90 seconds, and the yolk was barely cooked, 2 minutes and it had started to firm up (while still quite moist). As soon as the egg goes in the water, start your timer Since the timing of the eggs is so exacting, I don't think it would be practical to reheat them. But if you must, just cook them 90 seconds, chill and store in cold water, then reheat for about 30-45 seconds in simmering water. With or without the whirlpool, the thin albumen forms a "tail" Poached quail egg, sans tail After 1:45, the egg yolk is nicely runny, while just beginning to firm up on the edges Hard Cooked Quail Eggs Hard cooked quails eggs are delicious by themselves as a snack with just a sprinkling of salt. They would also be lovely quartered or halved to garnish a salad. However, where I think they shine is as deviled eggs. They are bite-sized and much more delicate than deviled eggs made from large chicken eggs. (Small or medium chicken eggs would do in a pinch, but these are so darn cute!). First, wash the shells because we're going to prick the fat end of the shell. This will prevent the air pressure from cracking the shell. Start your eggs in cold water with a splash of vinegar. Quail eggs in cold water over high heat It takes about 5 minutes for the water to come to a boil in my 1-Qt pot. The water is about 1 minute away from boiling As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot and start your timer. I removed the eggs starting at 2 minutes, and then at 1 minute intervals. Shock them in cold water to stop the cooking. 4 eggs, cooked 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes The eggs were perfect at 4 minutes. And, and even at 5 minutes there was no discoloration on the edge of the yolk. The white was a little tenderer at 4 minutes, so this would be perfect if you are eating them straight. Or, you can cook them less if you prefer a moister yolk. If you need a little firmer yolk and a white that will withstand the manipulation necessary for deviled eggs, then 5 minutes would be preferable. The above eggs, shelled and cut in half A note about shelling: Just like chicken eggs, it is easiest to shell the quail eggs under running water, starting at the fat end. And, just like brown-shelled chicken eggs, the color of the shell helps you get off every speck. In my research, I found the recipes online for hard cooked quail eggs varied greatly in timing. Since I found 4-5 minutes to be perfect, I wanted to see what 10 minutes would do. As you can see, there was a little discoloration on the edge of the yolk, but not too much. The white was a little firmer, but otherwise this would have been acceptable. So although 10 minutes is a little extreme, you shouldn't freak out if the eggs cook a little longer than intended, as they are quite forgiving. After 10 minutes cooking, there was just a tinge of green to the edge of the yolk Deviled Eggs After hard cooking your eggs, slice them in half vertically. Look to see if the yolk is showing through the white at any point, if so, be sure to make the cut at a 90 degree rotation from that point -- so the yolk is centered on the cut surface. Carefully remove the yolks from the whites. If making in advance, wrap the whites in an airtight container and refrigerate. If not, set them on your serving platter. Put the yolks into a fine wire mesh sieve and push them through with a spoon or pestle into a mixing bowl. Scrape every last bit off the sieve into the bowl. Use a pestle to push the yolks through a sieve Note about quantity: You may want to cheat a little and hardcook up a couple of regular chicken eggs, for the extra yolk. It is hard to get all of the yolk out of the sieve and it is easier to work with a large quantity, even if you just use a sandwich baggie as your piping bag. Add a bit of mustard, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of white or black pepper, and a spoon of mayonnaise to the yolks and mix it thoroughly with a fork or small whisk. I like to use a little cream too, if you use that, use less mayo. Just add a little mayo or cream at a time. If your mixture is too thick, you can always add more cream or milk, but you can't thicken it up if it's too thin, unless you cook up some more eggs! Put your mixture into a piping bag and fill your egg whites. If transporting them, don't fill them. Instead, bring the filling in a Ziploc bag. Just before serving snip off a corner of the bag and use that as the piping bag. They are delicious as is or with a variety of toppings. Suggestions: crumbled bacon, paprika, chopped parsley, caviar -- just use one at a time! Deviled Quail Eggs, pristine and with a sprinkling of Spanish Paprika

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"Shaken"Omelette Homework: Filling was diced & sauteed onion, green pepper, sliced mushroom, bacon, and a sprinking of cheese. I put less than half the filling I would normally have used and put it on as soon as the skin began forming, but before shaking the pan. The shaking technique I have down, as you can see the form of the finished omelette. However, I had two negatives: First, the outside browned slightly, and second, the inside wasn't cooked enough fpr my taste, although Jason enjoyed it a little runny. How can we get a more fully cooked omelette without browning the outside or cooking it longer after it is formed and read to flip out of the pan? I suppose I should just accept Katherine's advice. (Although it applied to meringue!)