Rachel Perlow

They told me it would be a second location.

I know, they told us last time we were there. I'm so excited. Tapas de Espana and parking! Yeah!

Yes, make sure the hood filters are dishwasher cleanable. Having a non-self cleaning oven hasn't been a problem for me. But, I'm sure my housekeeper would disagree. Seriously, a couple times a month, she cleans all the grates with oven cleaner in the laundry sink (when I saw her stacking those cast iron monsters in my beautiful kitchen sink, I quickly stopped her!). I she's cleaned the oven itself a couple times. Unless you cook a lot of really spattery stuff in the oven, it isn't that much of a problem. I've had self-cleaning ovens in the past and only used it once a year or so -- whenever some little spatter started to smoke. That said, even though we now have a top of the line Garland stove, I do wish we had the room/wallspace for my original desire, to have the gas countertop range and electric wall oven(s). Sigh.

"fry in butter" That's hardly necessary. You may want to start with a little water in the pan to get it going until some chicken fat is rendered. My brothers would stand by the stove in a fashion similar to my poodles waiting for bits of gribbenes. I like them as garnish for chopped liver, mmm.

I was originally thinking tiramisu, but, especially as the guests are not foodies, I really like the idea of a Rubik's Cube cake. You could assemble it in 3D too, like a really simple square wedding cake. Just assemble many layers of cake with a nice filling like ganache (too modern?) until it is a cube shape, use thin dowels to support the layers, if necessary. Make a nice white icing. First, crumb coat the entire cube. Then divide the icing into several bowls and use food coloring to make orange, blue, green, red, yellow, the sixth color is white. Pipe on the grid with dark chocolate icing. Fill in with the colors in a random pattern for an unsolved cube (use about 5 squares of each color, since the 6th side is on the bottom). Touch up the grid as necessary. I think that would be a huge hit. For a reminder, click here. edit: it would actually be much easier to make a solved cube. Just coat each side in a different color and then pipe on the grid. Remember to do the edges as well.

There isn't. While I like the whole fish at C46, we've ordered them at both of the past two dinners and they were the most leftovered item (besides the beef tendons and sea cucumber). Instead we're having the fried tofu skin wrapped pieces of flounder.

I love those. I've begged the management at Silver Pond (Fort Lee, NJ) to put them into their dim sum rotation.

For basically simmering beans in water with flavorings, what was the benefit to using the sand clay pot over, say, a small stock pot with a heavy bottom?

Just to be clear for those that might not realize, but parve cheese would be similar to vegan cheese, without dairy. This is different from kosher dairy cheese, which uses a vegetarian rennet rather than an animal based one.

I hope it is a similar menu, their food was goo-ood. Here's a link to the Jacques-Imo's thread in the Louisiana forum.

We never did any lake fishing, but we used to go ocean fishing for fluke or bluefish once or twice a summer down at the Jersey shore. I remember not realizing that the fluke were all the way at the bottom and catching a lot of squid & crabs.

Jeff, I think you mean 'forget this post' not thread. Most of the stores on AA are open on Saturday until 5, but call ahead if there's a particular store you are heading to.

This reminds me of an issue I had to deal with this week. We had a death in the family and as the cousins sitting shiva live in the town next to where we live, I was asked by my mother & other cousins who they should call to order food from (don't send mourning Jews flowers, send food, fruit baskets or meals from local restaurants (kosher preferably, even if the mourners aren't kosher, some of their guests might be)). I recommended the local kosher deli, and in fact called them myself to order for them. They were very helpful and unselfishly explained that they could only send that family parve items (they had just sent over a dessert platter) as they were not glatt and they had learned that they family sitting shiva was very observant. They recommended a caterer (take out deli) that was glatt (across the street from them). So, while I consider the first location kosher, the fact that they are open on Saturday, to my cousins, means that they may as well be traif. On another note, I visited yesterday and saw the platter I ordered being delivered. For the money spent (order of deli lunch for 8 at $10 pp), I thought it was kind of puny. Glatt kosher food is expensive.

An important part of jello mold construction is to use less water than you would if you were just making regular jello. If you review the recipe for the rainbow mold it uses approx 1.5 cups of water per package of jello rather than 2.

Regarding the foodiness level, unlike the last two times, there's no fish maw or beef tendons on the menu. The menu is posted above (page up a bunch of times), and unless you have a specific aversion to fish, pork, or duck, there's nothing weird or ordered for the sake of finding out what it is on there.

Actually, that was the second dinner at China 46. The first China 46 dinner was the second NJ eGullet dinner, we have also gone to a rodizio restaurant in Newark and an Italian place in Morris county.

From www.ecolivingcenter.com: Now this I've heard of (in relation to some pig based medical products) but totally don't get. That being that something derived from an animal, but that has been so processed as to be completely removed from being either non-kosher or meat based. Excuse me, but it came from the slaughter of an animal, from the hide no less, but is not considered meat?

Just a very brief comment on making various adaptations kosher for one's use at home, I have spent a great deal of time doing just that .. with much success but also with some devastating failures ... Just one simple case in point? Rachel Perlowe's glorious, multilayered, multihued festive Jello mold .. if I had to rely on using kosher gelatin, I can predict, with some degree of assurance, that it would be disastrous ... I ought to know whereof I speak, it happened to me more than once! Why not? I've made kosher gelatin (I ran the Hillel kitchen during my time at the University of Delaware) and it seems to set up OK. Is kosher jello fleishig? And because I make alternating creamy and clear layers, the creamy layer having the addition of yogurt or sour cream, that would make it not kosher? If so, I don't think the use of non-dairy coffee whitener would be inappropriate. The sweet taste that Gifted Gourmet sites as a negative for use in vicchyssoise wouldn't be a problem in a gelatin mold. That's what it sounded like to me too. So then, it seems his answer to the the answer to the title question would be no I guess.

But if you do get lost on the way, just keep driving, you haven't gone far enough.

Something is telling me that this woman is copying Miss Lucy.

OK, I've edited the menu above after discussing with Cecil & Rosie. The price will be $40 per person, which includes tax & tip and soft drinks. BYO Beer & Wine to share with the group. I'm really looking forward to trying some of the New Years Specials, which include Fried Tofu-skin Wrapped Flounder, Stuffed Blue Crab, and Three Treasure Shrimp. We've also included some eGullet favorites like Ruby Pork and Braised Chicken stuffed with sticky rice. Since this is an evening when the restaurant would normally be sold out (being Chinese New Year and the night with the dragon dance), we need to confirm our numbers several days before the event. Therefore if you have to cancel, you must do so in writing (on this thread is fine) by Thursday, January 22, or you will remain responsible for the cost of your meal. Everyone getting excited?

They're easy to find at the produce stands in the Chinatown area (although it might be seasonal, I don't know). That's where we bought one about six months ago. We had just had a discussion about durian and I noticed them at a stand as we were driving by. Had Jason pull over and I bought one. We brought it to our local Vietnamese restaurant to share. In the dining room Jason was the only one who liked it, but the owner's mother was very happy to take our leftovers!

Here in NJ a whole bunch of eGulleteers are celebrating at China 46. We're up to almost 50 people, but more are welcome! Just RSVP on the linked thread.

OK, here's what we're thinking so far for a menu: 1) Three kinds of hot dumplings: Jiaozi (these are simple steamed dumplings that are frequently the staff meal at China 46, they are so good) Crab Soup Dumplings (tommy's favorite!) Chive Box Dumpling (Vegetarian: cellophane noodle, chives, egg, tofu. It's a thin flat dumpling, something similar was mentioned in the Times review of Hunan Cottage.) 2) Cold: Capsicum Cellophane Noodles 3) Superior Seafood Soup 4) Peking Duck (by request) 5) Superior Ruby Pork with Sesame Bun (half order per table, that's more than enough for 1 bun per person, otherwise you get too full from it and we've got a lot of courses to get through!) 6) Fried Tofu-skin Wrapped Flounder 7) Stuffed Blue Crab (Special New Year dish: Blue crab meat is removed from shell, mixed with other seafood and stuffed back into the crab backs. Steamed and served with Shanghai Bok Choy.) 8) Braised chicken stuffed with sticky fried rice (Special New Year Dish) 9) Three Treasure Shrimp (with Fresh Shiitake, Fresh Bamboo, and Ham) 10) Stir Fried Rice Cake with Pork and Fresh Bamboo (not the regular menu version, special for New Year) 11) Fresh Fruit Platter for dessert

Lauren, this is obviously EXTRA reason for you to bring a Durian pie. Hey!!!