Malawry

Sorry, I should clarify. I am a chef for a sorority. They are planning their fall recruitment and this is one of the events. There will be about 50 college aged girls in the sorority house, eating this fondue. I am in the DC metro area. The chocolate fountain looks cool--I've read some press on it--but it is definitely not financially feasible for them to rent one.

I've been asked to provide my girls with chocolate fondue for 50 in a week and a half. I've never made chocolate fondue before. I checked Joy of Cooking which basically tells you to warm up chocolate sauce (a thin ganache type sauce). That seems like it'd be too thin to me. There's a chocolate cookbook at work that my predecessor left me which had a recipe calling for chocolate chips and a ton of corn syrup--I swear I felt a glucose spike from reading it. Are there better alternatives? I do have plenty of 63% Cacao Noel pistoles and tons of chocolate chips around and would prefer to use one or the other. Also I don't really know how much to make--there will be five or six fondue pots made available to me, and the idea is I'll fill them with the goop and then set out trays of dippers. There will be one pot and one tray on each of five or six tables, and girls will sit at each table to snack away. Are there some interesting dipper ideas? I planned to do marshmallows (hopefully homemade), pound cake, strawberries, bananas (can I do frozen ones, or will that muck with the fondue?), pineapple, pretzels, and maybe grapes. Other ideas welcome.

Welcome, LJFats. I ate a big ol' burger for lunch today, with cheap mustard. (I used to get in the great French sharp sharp dijon but my girls didn't like it--so now I stick to Grey Poupon and French's for those who can't even handle the GP.) Plus about six cups of coffee, as usual. I meant to eat some veggies but never got around to it.

Vegetarian pad thai is easy and delicious. I've made it using soy sauce instead of the fish sauce before with success--though vegetarian fish sauce would probably be even better. The prefried tofu from Asian markets makes an excellent addition. I keep veg stock around and add it if it seems a little dry.

About six cups of decaf coffee with cream Several swipes of goat cheese spread One of my favorite work snacks: a slice of provolone cooked on the griddle until brown and crisp A big salad with whatever cheeses and meats I found laying about A couple of the breast tenders from butter-herb roasted chicken

They buy them in pre-boiled. I guarantee it. I worked in a deli-bakery when I was in college (different chain, but same idea as any other deli-bakery). We got in a case of hard-boiled eggs once a week or so which I had to turn into devilled eggs as part of my job. I ended up eating a lot of them when I thought nobody was looking. Anyway I'd be shocked if they made them in-house. Maybe if they run out, but that's it.

Finally made it to the Cafe for the first time last night, with Hillvalley as my cheerful guide. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a fennel and artichoke salad with a hunk of house-made bacon, and the burger and the hot dog (we split everything). The salad was pretty good, but that BACON. Oh that bacon! It's a big hunk of fatty, rich goodness. I could have eaten a whole plate of it easily, and it was the highlight of my dinner. There was also a little ham croquette with the salad, which would have been good if it wasn't a little oversalted. I'm sure you've read all about the burger and the dog here before, but I wanted to give special props to the pickled vegetables that came with the burger. They included pickled corn, an unusual taste of summer sweetness cured in a mild rice wine vinegar-y brine. (There were also the more typical pickles, and a couple of yummy yellow wax beans.) I knocked it back with a sidecar, one of the better versions I've had around town. But you've read all about the sidecar, too. There was a mojitolike drink on the menu that we wanted to try in honor of Monica, but they were out of one of the ingredients (I think the prosecco) so we had to pass. Derek and Evan are as charming and helpful as they can be. Later in the evening a bunch of eGulleteers happened by, including our lovely and talented forum host. It was good to meet you guys. Fun night, sorry I had to bail out early.

I believe the pina colada stuff is labeled "cream of coconut," not "coconut cream." The stuff from the freezer section makes the BEST coconut sorbet. Just mix with enough simple syrup to sweeten to your liking and freeze in an ice-cream maker. Awesome.

Let me count the ways: Use it in place of all or part of the regular milk in pastry cream, and stuff choux buns with it for coconut profiteroles Use it in place of all or part of the regular milk in pudding, and serve it with dark bitter chocolate sauce Use it as part of the liquid in a curry--Thai style or Indian style, either is great Add it to broth and Asian seasonings, put in some chicken and some julienned vegetables for a great soup Use it to make a marinade for tofu or chicken that you turn into satays I always keep coconut milk on hand.

Sorry, I think they're all gone! I was most interested in trying some kind of lamb patties for eating in pita, but I couldn't source ground lamb and I don't have a meat grinder. I can see pulsing meat in the Cuisinart when cooking for 4, but not when cooking for 40. Perhaps another time I'll get a chance to play with lamb.

OK, so the dinner was last night. I was unable to source good eggplants in time and I'm not convinced my girls will eat them in anything besides eggplant parmigiana anyway. The menu was: Rosemary-lemon chicken skewers Spanakopita Assorted vegetables on the griddle with plenty of EVOO, sea salt, fresh herbs Rice with plumped raisins and almonds Pita and tzatziki; some girls made the chicken into sandwiches using salad bar fixings. I didn't get them the good Greek yogurt--I've had Total and I know how much better it is, but I've only got so much patience and money for running to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods for such items. I let the fat-free Yoplait yogurt I get from Sysco sit in the fridge in a coffee filter-lined sieve for 36 hours and it was pretty thick and tasty. Some salted and pressed shredded cucumber (plus s, p, and tons of microplaned garlic) made for a satisfying dip. My boss dredged her rice in it and came back asking for more. I ended up with an apricot trifle for dessert. I made a standard pastry cream but added yogurt and honey and some almond extract to it to make it more Greeklike. Some of them ate leftovers of it for breakfast this morning.

I finally had a full day at work yesterday for the first time this semester, so for my staff meal I had a bowl of chicken salad (with walnuts and plumped raisins) and a salad with ranch dressing. I also snuck an apricot and a few swipes of pastry cream mixed with yogurt and honey. Mmm, college eatin'. The housekeeper, my only other "family" to feed, fixed herself a fat tuna sandwich on marble rye from the buffet I set up. She ate it with a big pile of potato chips and declared it good.

Rosemary-lemon chicken skewers Rice with almonds and raisins Spanakopita Griddled vegetables: zucchini, red peppers, portabellos Pita with tzatziki Apricot trifle: toasted cake layered with apricots and a creme patisserie lightened with yogurt and honey For 40.

I have always meant to make Ben's for breakfast--they have things like salmon cakes and fried apples on the menu--but have never been. I'm pleased to hear it passes muster with a few eGulleteers. You may not know this, but Ben's makes a respectable vegetarian burger. I also like their vegetarian chili. When I was a vegetarian I used to get their veg burgers "with everything" which included an application of vegetarian chili. Good, sloppy eatin'. Has anyone ever had pie or cake there? They're always lined up in plastic coffins by the register but I've never seen somebody buy one.

Get the macaroni and cheese, too, willya? The onion soup with duck stock, duck confit and cheddar spoonbread during Restaurant Week was awesome too.

For that matter, I never understood why people in the restaurant where I worked would rather order from McDonald's rather than order off the menu or make something with the fresh food already in-house. Sure we couldn't eat steak, but especially on weekdays it was okay to eat highly perishable proteins like fish and pork chops and of course vegetables are always ok to eat. I do understand the feeling that you work with the food all the time, and you just don't want to eat it. I've had days when I just drank a ton of coffee with milk instead of eating because I couldn't get up the interest.

Not Krispy Kreme Not Chick-Fil-A. Meat Shake.

Why not try the Zuni recipe anyway, and report back here. I wish I had better advice for you, I'm not familiar with these.

I told you I wasn't just daydreaming about a Pollo Campero in Langley Park. They're going into the old Twice as Good (T as G) Pollo a la Brasa store on University Blvd, just east of the intersection with New Hampshire. This is right next to Tiffin, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. It doesn't look like construction has started yet but at least we have a location now.

Considering how good Chef John's oysters are, I daresay you got an oyster with a devilled egg base.

Sometimes I bake big batches of bar cookies in half-sheet pans at work, where I lack a convection oven. I usually lower the temperature and bake them for a longer time, checking them frequently, to ensure that the center is baked through before the outer parts are overcooked. I've been okay just by keeping a close eye on them but then I don't bake any testy things like cheesecakes--my oven is way too uneven, and I just know I won't be able to keep on top of it adequately.

Oh yeah, Jinmyo is very right about the oil. If you squeeze it in your hands you will probably be able to get a couple drops of oil out of it. Ew, in other words. De-fatting is essential. I have been known to eat it plain without any condiments, but then I really like tofu in any form.

Add it to any stir-fry. Julienne it and put it into spring rolls...or hot and sour soup...or pad thai. Pan-crisp it and eat it with sweet chili sauce. You can't go wrong, really.

I don't know the exact dressing you are referring to. However, I learned a cool technique for tomato dressing once: When you're dicing a bunch of tomato flesh, save the skins and cores. (Most restaurants I've been in just cut away the insides and use the walls of the tomatoes for salads etc...this leaves lots of leftover tomato insides and seeds for this sort of thing.) Salt generously and let sit for an hour or so. Strain off the liquid into a bowl. Whisk in EVOO, s, p, garlic, and possibly small amounts of red wine vinegar or sugar to taste. Makes a very tomato-y vinaigrette.

Went by yesterday and saw a new product: ground almonds. Good for breading. I didn't pick any up but now am thinking of going back and getting some--I want to see how they work in frangipane. (They appear to have left the skins in them, so I suspect they won't make the frangipane of my dreams...but the stuff should work great for breading trout etc)