Malawry

Pan-fried tofu cutlets with drizzles of plum sauce and honey mustard Roasted asparagus, evoo, Maldon salt, you know the drill Cornbread Apple-rhubarb crisp for dessert. Edit: spelling

Heather, not only would I snarf your devilled eggs, they'd be among the first to go at any North Carolina church potluck.

In earlier years, when I was stricter about my vegetarianism, I stuck to items like corn and slaw that were less likely to be cooked with pork products. Later I stopped caring as much and would eat cooked carrots, snap peas and so on. Now I eat everything, but I don't live in North Carolina or another area where there are great vegetable plates. Varmint, of course deviled eggs are a vegetable. *pat pat* I like mine with homemade mayonnaise, Maille mustard, and a little cayenne.

There is plenty to Southern cuisine that doesn't include meat. Besides which your wife can eat shrimp and grits, fried catfish, and other seafood delicacies of the South, which count for something along with your chess pies with shortening crusts and vegetarian snap beans. I adore the vegetable plate, which is still one of my favorite ways of eating vegetables and which I order when dining in casual Southern restaurants. I was a vegetarian for almost a decade and spent most of that time as a North Carolinian and found that I could enjoy plenty of the Southern delicacies around me. I always felt my diet was less of an "un-Southern" influence than my lack of a noticeable Southern accent.

I grew up on the Fresh Market. (I'm pretty sure their Lawndale store in Greensboro, NC was the first in the chain.) I still visit when I am in Greensboro to see my folks. My level of culinary understanding has shifted quite a bit, as has the availability of "gourmet" foods since I first entered the Fresh Market, but I still think it's a pretty good store for what they do. Their produce is not outrageously expensive, yet it's at least as good as what you find in a high-end Harris Teeter type market. They carry a great selection of bulk candies, including jelly beans. They were the first people I remember seeing in Greensboro selling truffles by weight, though I don't know whose truffles they sell and doubt they make their own. They also sell a lot of bulk nuts, grains, and beans plus trail mixes and snack mixes. I love their ale nuts and always buy some when I visit. And they were the first folks in town to offer more than one type of coffee, plus they always have at least two types available for sampling. Their bakery and fish departments leave much to be desired. I was chagrined to find the fish clerk knew far less about fish than I do, and found myself teaching her quality points the last time I stopped in a store. I asked why she didn't know so much about fish yet worked the fish counter. "Oh, I don't like fish. I guess they just put me here. Don't know why." This, and they charge $1-2/lb more for fish than the better supermarkets at lower quality points. As for the bakery, I don't think they bake anything to speak of in-store. I should ask if they use a commissary or some other method of supplying stores next time I'm around.

Last night: Catfish marinated in mustard/bourbon reduction/molasses/olive oil, crusted with pecans and pan-fried, lemon-thyme beurre noisette Haricots verts in a vinegar dressing, sprinkled with bacon

Quick after-work dinner: Vegetarian burger with red onion and horseradish mustard on kaiser roll A very large pickle Salad of green beans, sugar snap peas, red onion and red bell pepper in anchovy-evoo vinaigrette Ginger tea for dessert Fimbul, it's asparagus-rama at the markets around town right now, isn't it? We've been eating a lot of it too. I keep hoping English peas will show up but we haven't seen them yet in Takoma.

Go Varmint! I appreciate your willingness to bare all (heh heh) in your quest. It's possible to be a total food geek and lose weight. I'll be joining you in your efforts this summer, as I gained back some of my 60lb loss through culinary school. I plan to try harder to make my calories count, and get back to lengthy daily workouts. BTW, Jeniac, I like the second picture. Attitude!

I don't drink expensive wines, much as I'd love to. They simply aren't within reach financially. I've spent about $150 apiece on 10 or so different meals, some of which had paired wines with each course but most of which didn't. They varied greatly in perceived value, but I think my perception of value depends partly on factors uncontrollable by restaurants (like my mood when I walk in the door, and so on).

Sunday, June 1 oughta work for me.

I'd like to come but probably can't make it this weekend, alas. I'll let you know if that changes though! It is about time to schlep downtown again. This time of year at the market is wonderful, new goodies show up every week. I've got my fingers crossed for fresh English peas this Sunday in Takoma (which is easier for me to get to).

I'm here! Can't plan it myself but would love to attend if it's not on a work night. (Saturdays are always out for me for this reason, but other nights can work.) I would gladly contribute one or two dishes. Perhaps I could get my esteemed partner Erin and the talented Edemuth to come as well.

Grilled salmon with a mustard-maple glaze Warm potato salad with nicoise vinaigrette, red onions and peas Lemon pound cake It was a great night to be grilling, we all hung out on the patio chatting and drinking Ting.

I'm simply sputtering that they didn't end up going into Silver Spring. Sputtering, I tell you. On the bright side, I drove by the Sterling location yesterday and there is a foundation plus the big steel framework already in place. It's gonna be a big store, from looking at the framework at least.

Pan-fried catfish sandwiches with red leaf lettuce, onion, and lots of mustard Pickles Chocolate clusters from Costco I should have made lemonade to go with it. I have fresh lemons and simple syrup after all...

So at today's farmer's market, I found something I hadn't seen before: purple asparagus. You know that purplish tinge green asparagus gets? This was entirely that purple color. Is this stuff any different from green asparagus in how it gets cooked? Anybody have any experience with it? I usually peel my green asparagus, should I peel the purple or will that get rid of the lovely color?

Yes, hot donuts now appear only periodically. Morning is a fairly reliable time to show up for hot donuts now at Krispy Kreme. Late at night is another fairly reliable time. Afternoons are tougher. They always light the sign when they have hot donuts, and turn it off when the last one rolls off the belt. I believe there are three phases of KK donuts: hot off the belt, less than 12 hours old, and stale. I like the in-between phase pretty well, the donuts seem more substantial than the warm puffs of air but they aren't at all chewy or greasy yet. Donuts in the in-between phase can be purchased at the other locations selling KK donuts like gas stations and supermarkets shortly after their arrival in the morning. This applies only to places where they say the donuts are delivered daily, and usually you can select your own rather than having to choose a preboxed dozen. I grew up a half hour from the original KK. It's in my blood. I just stopped by the one in Alexandria the other day, after buying a 10lb catfish at Slavin. You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl.

I used to be hooked on Breton whole wheat crackers. I like Courtney's Organic table water crackers too, they have a more toasty flavor than the Carr's. Carr's whole wheat crackers are thick and sweet, almost biscuity, and go down well with mustard, apple, and cheddar as a canape. Best of all is homemade. Crackers aren't that hard to make, just time-consuming.

Assorted bruschetta: caramelized red onions, seared red peppers, cremini mushrooms with tarragon, sundried tomatoes with anchovy, young parsleyed zucchini, olives, capers Asparagus risotto, a la Cesare Lanfanconi White beans slow-cooked with garlic and sage

Penne with sour cream, peas, leftover roasted tuna, capers, dill, sea salt, scrape of black pepper Brownies Brunch was nice too: Toasted lurpak-buttered baguette slabs topped with sauteed spinach, poached eggs and snipped tarragon

There's a salad on the menu at Ortanique with lavender-shallot vinaigrette. It's quite lovely.

My devotion to buttah is well-documented here, but my folks' Pesach dishes are fleishig, and our meal was fleishig, so I figured I shouldn't use real butter. But then one of our guests appeared bearing rich confections covered in whipped cream for dessert and nobody objected. Next year with butter!

I made the buttercrunch recipe after all the rave reviews on here. I used unsalted pareve Pesach margarine (ick!) and regular light brown sugar. When I cooked the margarine and sugar the whole mixture looked separated the whole time despite constant stirring. These ingredients just would not emulsify, even temporarily. It simmered quickly but never really "boiled" as the recipe said so I had a hard time figuring out the timing of the dish. I tried to pour it as evenly as possible over the matzah but it was difficult since the mixture was separated. I didn't feel too optimistic about it by the time I was sticking the matzah in the oven. But the finished product was pretty good as Pesadik desserts go. I enjoyed picking at it, as did everybody else. I wondered if the recipe works better using real butter. I also got to musing about problems with recipe writing as I was cooking it; I really needed more information about what the mixture should look like. Next time I hope to use real butter and better chocolate. Which reminds me, are any of the better chocolate brands available in Kosher for Passover formulations? That'd be nice. I'm not too into Barton's or Elite.

TrishCT, what turned you off about the Victoria and Albert restaurant? I'm very curious about it as it seems to be the WDW showpiece restaurant.

I will definitely be up for it. The farm market is a weekly priority for me. I'm very serious about cooking based on what I buy there, and plan menus around what appears at my favorite stalls. Vengroff, I've been shopping area markets for a few years and have never seen ramps. FWIW I think ramps are nearing the end of their season anyway. If y'want them, you may have to schlep out to WVa and pick them yourself. And if you ever see them for sale you better come here and tell eGullet so we can go fleece any commercially available supplies.