ScorchedPalate

Last year we had a marvelous Christmas lunch at Kirin at City Centre.

The pearl sugar we get here is in much smaller chunks. I wonder if that would work...

You can often find the old Mirro metal ones at garage sales and thrift stores... that's where I got mine. I also have a new Kuhn Rikon cookie press -- it's plastic with the racheting gizmo -- and I like it quite a lot. It takes the Mirro disks (can't live without my camel disk!) and it's a lot easier to make uniform cookies with than the Mirro kind. Unfortunately, whenever I bring them to work, everyone thinks they're from a bakery... maybe they're just a little -too- uniform. Edited to add: I didn't think I'd use the decorating tips, either -- but it sure makes it easy to fill tarts, put whip-cream stars on pies, etc... and it's much easier to keep fillings from making a mess in the fridge. It won't replace my pastry bag, but it has made some tasks easier. ~A

Mom says she uses a very rounded 1/2 teaspoon measure to make her 'thumbprints', and her recipe calls for making the indentation halfway through baking. ~Anita ------------ Toni's Thumbprint Cookies 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg, separated 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts Mix together thoroughly the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour and salt, then stir into the wet ingredients. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Lightly beat the egg white. Dip each ball in egg white, then roll in chopped nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes, then remove from oven. Quickly press thumb (or rounded 1/2 teaspoon measure) gently on top of each cookie. Return to oven and bake 8 minutes longer. Cool, then place a bit of jelly or jam in the thumbprint.

Hmm, let me see if I can get my mom's recipe... she used to make these when I was a kid and I have no recollection of massive cracks. How are you measuring your flour? Have you tried measuring by weight? Sounds like your dough might be too dry. ~A

Seven Stars is the best. Lo Sichuan (aka "Sichuanese Cuisine") diagonally across 12th and Jackson is also very good.

In the U.S., you can use the candied citron that they sell at holiday time for use in fruitcakes and pannetone. In California, at least, it's sold in translucent plastic tubs, in the produce section with other candied fruits (such as those nasty fake-red cherries and ultra-green pinapple), or sometimes on the baking aisle. You usually can only find it from October through Christmas. You can also buy it mail-order from a variety of internet sources, if you find yourself in need of it during the off season. Edited to add: You could also just use golden raisins (in addition to the dark raisins) in its place. I have a few recipes for dutch apple pie that don't have citron at all.

I can't even bring up that page. ~A

Piggybacking here on Tad's thread... I've done a fair bit of reading on earlier threads and on other sites, and now I'm hoping that folks here can help me fill in some blanks. Cameron and I will be stopping in Tokyo for 3 days/2 nights on our way to a three-week trip in Thailand. We'll be in Tokyo December 26-28, staying in Shiodome at the Park Hotel Tokyo. We're taking a tour of Tsukiji market on the first morning morning with these gentlemen. We're planning on sushi after the tour, probably at Sushi Bun... but we're open to other suggestions. (Daiwazushi? Sushi Dai? Ryuzushi?) Aside from sushi, I'm especially interested in recommendations for: - Ramen: Kyouraku, Kagemaru? Jangara? - Tempura: Ten-Ichi? - Breakfast on day 2: We really don't want to eat at the hotel, but most of the places in guidebooks and food sites don't open until 10:30 or 11. We're definitely planning to hit the department-store food halls. As for dinners, I don't think we're willing to completely blow it out (so the $500 wagyu is out) but one nice dinner (say in the $150-200 range) sounds like fun, preferably if it's Japanese and not European. Neither of us speaks Japanese beyond the absolute basics, so we'll need places with english menus and/or tolerant staff. We've got a bilingual street atlas that shows block numbers, which should help with the "how the hell do these addresses work?" factor, and we're reasonably adept at transit. We're also thinking of heading up to Asakusa to check out the kitchen-supply stores and the street market. Other sightseeing musts for a trip this brief? Thanks much! ~A

Thank you for sharing this with us, John. What fun!

Good breakfast... Good Neighbor 3701 Cahuenga Blvd. Studio City Also good breakfast... not studio city, but closeish (5 minutes away): Jinky's 14120 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks Edited to add: DuPar's for breakfast... and pie 12036 Ventura Blvd. Studio City (I swear, I do eat meals other than breakfast... just not in the Valley )

I used a Bradley at a charcuterie class last year, and fell in love. It's currently at the top of my Amazon wishlist. I'll have to look into the Cookshack. ~A

It might be called prickly ash berry, if that helps. ~A

True enough, also. Although in terms of other options, I've been pretty happy with the butchers at Andronico's, and very much so at Mollie Stone's Twin Peaks location (aka Tower Market).

I forgot to be snide about Drewes! The first time we went there, on the advice of friends who love to cook, I was really impressed. Not a huge selection, but everything we saw looked amazingly fresh. The baby-back ribs we bought for $4.99 a pound were awesome. The recommending friends tell us that the guys there are happy to accommodate special orders with advance notice, which is cool. On our next visit, I was a LOT less impressed. We decided that their name should be "Drewes Bros Meats... but Only For Your Grill". We had gone in search of a top round to roast -- not exactly an exotic cut. The guy behind the counter gave us a sneer and said "we don't really, uh, sell top round." Frankly, if you don't start your day with sides of beef -- or at least primal cuts -- you forfeit the right to call yourself a butcher. Those who buy meat in shrinkwrapped plastic chunks and repackage it for retail sale are merely "meat sellers" in my opinion. I think I got spoiled by three years of Don & Joe's in Seattle.

It's my understanding that the stuff we call cinnamon is indeed cassia, whereas "mexican cinnamon" -- a dusty brown, soft-textured bark-like spice -- is actually true ceylon cinnamon.

I'm right with Kim D on London. This year, Mr C and I are going on a 3-week food trek through Thailand with my Thai cooking teacher. Kasma Loha-unchit -- Thai Food and Travel (We're taking Trip B, central and northern Thailand.) ~A

I need to make a field trip to Ranch 99. I love the one in Seattle. My favorite mexican grocery is Casa Lucas, on 24th Street. I originally went there because I was annoyed with the limp poblanos I was finding at other shops. Not only was their produce a LOT higher quality, it's dramatically cheaper. Now I do the vast majority of my produce shopping here (which isn't all that much, since we subscribe to a weekly produce box). They also have an excellent selection of canned and boxed items, and a small housewares aisle in the back. For cheeses and fresh lard and masa, I go to La Palma. (When I haven't remembered to pre-order fresh-ground masa from Rancho Gordo at the Ferry Plaza market.)

Cruising through the Beverages & More site, I found the following interesting-sounding products: Zen Green Tea Liqueur Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur Oh Canada Maple Liqueur Anyone tried any of these? They sound interesting to me, but I am not sure I'm willing to plunk down $20+ for something that might be nasty. ~Anita

Robert Hess's House Bitters

Please don't go to Top Gun in Bellevue. From a post I made elsewhere:

Our two favorite chili recipes are - "Very, Very Good Chili" from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen -- probably the one in Rick & Lanie's Excellent Adventures is similar -- which is actually a sub-recipe/suggestion for his ancho chile paste: Recipe on the Simon & Schuster site (scroll down/search for "chili") - Venison Chili with Red Beans from David Waltuck's Staff Meals from Chanterelle. We always use beef bits and cannellini, having no access to venison nor love of red beans.

Late december through mid-February is typical, but this year's weather has been a little bizarre. I just found this SF Gate article from last year

Me, I'm the grapevine. I bought them at the Bellevue Whole Foods last January, used the juice to make Friday After Five cocktails and cochinita pibil, and the zest to make bergamocello. Mmm, can't wait for this years (bigger) batch... I have a line on a place in SF that sells wholesale quantities, but they won't be in season yet for a while. Whatcha gonna do with them, CQ? ~A

My vote would be Fiesta del Mar in Mountain View, right off the Shoreline exit of 101. Authentic and interesting mexican food... mmm. ~A