Jensen

Without a doubt, pie. There, I've just put to rest the rumour that Therese and I are in fact the same person. (Apparently, we're complementary versions of ourselves...) In order of preference: transparent pie, custard pie, then fruit pie. Meat pies trump them all.

The Spouse will often add woodchips to our outdoor grill (barbecue, in Canadian talk) to impart some smoky flavour to meats. We've never used purchased chips; instead he wraps up green trimmings from various nut and fruit trees in tin foil, pokes a few holes in the packet, and tosses it on top of the flame. Pecan, peach, nectarine, almond...they're all good.

Absolutely, you must use a pressure cooker. We've also done up "jug meat"...basically trim from butchering something. We had jars of venison one year that made fabulous meat pies. And I agree with your more recent post. There is a tradition to canning food that goes beyond the convenience of having it in the cupboard.

We did this one year when we were young and broke. We had a freezer full of salmon (caught by the Spouse) and so did something like 54 jars of salmon. At the time, we lived at the edge of a greenbelt and so I'd head off into the woods once a week or so and pick berries. They'd be frozen and then, when I had enough, I'd make a batch of jam. Pickled beets are a favourite around here (I even won first place at the local fall fair two years running with my pickled beets...drove all the old ladies nuts!) Does anyone else keep records of what they canned and when? This may be a little too esoteric for eGullet but here goes anyway. This is a form of writing called "haibun": a combination of prose and haiku. I never did edit this to a finished form but it's almost there...

I used to can a fair bit but haven't for a while. More recently, it's been because of the heat here. The thought of canning stuff when it's over a 100 degrees outside is scaring me off. That being said, over the winter, I have been thinking about doing some canning this summer. My canning focuses more on pickles and vegetables than the jams, etc., just because I don't eat much sweet food. Since I buy more and more produce from the farmer's market rather than the grocery store, it occurs to me that I could preserve some of that goodness for the winter months. At the height of tomato season, I can buy beautiful Romas from the market for 30 cents/lb. If I canned those, it must be cheaper than buying tins of tomatoes for sauces, etc., don't you think? So why did I can (and why will I can in the future)? It's not so much to preserve my own harvests but to preserve the foods when they are at their peak.

Yeah, we have to remember that the footage we see has been heavily edited.

Brisket!

I've used sorrel mixed with ricotta as a filling for ravioli. With lemon-y sorrel, I'd be tempted to use goat cheese instead.

What bothers you about it?

For what it's worth, that is the same maxim I have heard in any service industry in which I've been employed. It just makes sense. I'm with you. The Spouse, who has now watched two episodes with me and is getting into the whole thing, doesn't like Lee Ann for some reason but she just seems the most professional and the most competent of them all.

I was oh-so-hopeful that Stephen was going to hit the bricks last night but I guess I can wait until next week (or the week after). I won't miss Miguel. There was a parallel in the previews for the show last night (previews which aired last week) and the previews for the show next week. Last week, we saw a cut scene of Colicchio asking Miguel what his smock says ("Top Chef, not Top Sous Chef"). Then Miguel went home. In the previews of next week's episode, we heard "This is Top Chef, not Top Sommelier." Dare I hope?

Sandy, What brand is the dressing? Before we moved here, jalapeno ranch was a favourite as a pizza dipping sauce. I haven't seen it here in CA though.

The Spouse watched last night's episode with me for the first time. He loved that clip from next week's episode. (And what's not to love, I ask you?) A few minutes after the show was over, they started to play it again. Spouse heard the "show noises" the TV was making and came zooming back into the living room to see if it was the next episode. I'm sure he just wanted to see the verbal bitch slapping.

Tiffany and Lee Anne seem to me to have more substance than Stephen. I wish Dave wasn't such a crybaby; his food often looks like it is superb but, oh my god, the tears!

And, unless I've missed a crucial post, that has not been proven to be the case here. All that we do know is that the website did not include attribution for the dishes. At this point, the argument is entirely academic, isn't it?

Okay, I rarely watch TV but the re-runs of Top Chef were playing in the background on Sunday afternoon and they lured me into it. After watching the gas station gourmet and microwave epidsodes, I had no choice but to watch on Wednesday night! Miguel's performance in the junk food taste test (not to mention him interrupting--in Spanish--Stephen's convo with the Latino butcher) redeemed him slightly in my eyes but he just strikes me as being somewhat lacking in integrity. I recall him ripping off Tiffani's Krispy Kreme bread pudding idea from the gas station episode and then throwing Andrea to the lions was not good. He and his little piggy eyes can be booted off anytime (along with Stephen). I'd thought of the empanada possibility for combining Latino and Japanese. Too bad the food had to be prepared in advance; okonomiyaki might have provided an interesting option as well but I don't think it would hold well.

I don't know if this would work for the fine china but, when I was a kid, my mum would put the plates over the oven vent (one of the back burners). Friends who have a wood stove for heat use the back of the stove to warm their plates. I've got a gas stove now and so am limited to putting them in the oven on "Warm".

Cornish pasties!

Thank you so much for the details!

In an effort to provide a fair exchange for Adam's apple tart recipe, I offer the following. This is a recipe from my great-grandmother (which would make it, at the latest, from 19th century England) and, although it was titled "Veal Dressing" by her, we always used it to stuff the turkey at Christmas. So, as Great-Granny (or maybe her daughter) wrote it out... Veal Dressing for 8-10 lb. chicken or turkey 3 c. crumbs 1 c. chopped parsley 1 T. poultry spice 1 c. suet 1 egg salt juice of 2 lemons (It uses fresh breadcrumbs and fresh parsley.)

Adam, How does the apple tart keep? Could it be served the next day or does it go soggy/flat/otherwise not palatable? Also, could you provide quantities for the ingredients? (Please and thank you!)

This is even more interesting given an article that appeared on the BBC website today regarding the chances of contracting vCJD and the even smaller chances of developing symptoms of it. Apparently, there are signs that these chances are affected by human genetics: click

They're not exactly like beets (not as sweet) but you can taste that they are related.

Cook them just like you would chard or you can make summer borscht from them. They're fabulous!

Chicken Breast stuffed with prosciutto, asparagus, and gorgonzola Serves 1 as Main Dish. This is a very low-fat (but tasty!) main dish. I've put the ingredients in for one serving but obviously the recipe can be expanded for as many servings as desired. 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast 15 g prosciutto (shaved) 15 g crumbled gorgonzola cheese 4 asparagus spears 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 c fine dry breadcrumbs Pound out chicken breast to about 1/4" thickness. Cover with thinly shaved prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese. Lay the asparagus spears across the chicken breast. (I had two going in one direction and two in the other and allowed the tips to stick out of the roll.) Roll the chicken breast up and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour or so. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove plastic wrap (I know, it seems like such an obvious thing to say...) and dip roll first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken, Dinner ( RG1658 )