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Is there any chance that it's legit? I assumed that the system was up just for testing and the reservations would get wiped from the system before it goes live for real. But... the 12th is the first date that they're supposed to be done with the F&F. Hmmmmm...

They do a terrific pigs ear appetizer at Michael Symon's Lolita in Cleveland. It's confited in duck fat, deep fried to crisp it up, and served with pickled vegetables. I don't have a recipe, but here's a video of Lolita chef Matt Harlan demoing the process.

Last night Bar Cento hosted a special wine dinner for Slow Food Northern Ohio. M. F. Richter Riesling Dinner Dr. Dirk Richter was on hand to introduce wines from his family's vineyard in the Mosel. Back in the day, they supplied wines to the Zeppelins crossing the Atlantic. Chef Jonathan Sawyer prepared a menu to accompany the wines. 1st Course & Pairings Salo rye pizza w/ assorted charcuterie Speck, Mettwurst, Mortadella & horseradish Richter Riesling Brut Sparkling Mulheimer Sonnenlay 2000 Richter Riesling classic (dry style) 2006 The pizza was topped with (I think) rendered house-made lardo. I beautiful nutty-tasting crust, accented by porky goodness. The house-made charcuterie was awesome. There was, of course, a platter of delicious pickled vegetables along side. 2nd Course & Pairings Crispy Spiced Hake Fish Curry, Jerk, Chili, and house garum Richter Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling 2006 M. F. Richter Zeppelin Riesling 2006 The hake was flaky and moist, with a perfect crisp crust. The three seasonings (curry, jerk, chili) were subtle. The house-made garum dipping sauce was a hit! (more on that in a bit). 3rd Course & Pairings Boudin noir w/ challenging cheeses St. Agar blue cheese, petit Muenster, Goose Liver & grilled bread Richter Braunberger Juffer Spatlese Riesling 2005 Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Auslese 2003 The sweetest (and most premium) Rieslings were accompanied by more charcuterie and some wonderful cheeses. In addition to the cheeses listed on the menu, there was also a gorgeous taleggio. At the end of the evening Chef jonathan came 'round to say hello. I had to ask about the house-made garum. He brought over a bottle of the stuff: Awesome! Larger photos on Flickr.

That looks like an aebleskiver. I've never seen one so perfectly spherical. Thanks for the report, John. The Scandinavian presence was a surprise, given the location of the conference. There's some fascinating stuff going on up there judging by the presentations.

Will we see a bit more detail about these menus? I'm leaning towards "nasty bits", but I'm willing to be steered towards the veggie menu if that's a strength for Chef Kahan. I'd also like to know more about their wine service - particularly what their notion of "premium" might be. Thanks for putting this together, Ron. This is going to be great!

Count me in for both Thursday events.

Various cookbooks I have call for beef jerky or corned beef as substitutes for carne seca. That just sounds wrong! Is there an online source for carne seca? Or is there a reasonable substitute? Can't argue with that!

Note that the Biju beans that JohnnyD pictured are labeled "Brazilian Grade". Folks in Brazil are incredibly picky about their beans. I remember that back in the seventies there was a major crop failure in Brazil. Black beans were shipped in from the U.S., and the reaction was shock that we actualy considered those beans to be edible. If you can buy beans from a source that caters to Brazilians, do so. There are online vendors like Amigo Foods that stock Brazilian staples. Or you could do as I do and splurge on the "Midnight" beans from Rancho Gordo. A bit on the pricy side, but worth it IMHO. Johnny also mentions various accompaniments like the malagueta peppers and farofa (manioc meal). The farofa is essential! The beans should be on the soupy side, not overly thick. The farofa is perfect for soaking up the juices (pot liquor) from the beans.

I'll second that! So glad to hear that you'll be joining us in Chicago.

Today I picked up some locally-cured linguiça (Portuguese sausage). I already had pig's ears in the fridge, farinha (manioc meal) in the freezer, and Rancho Gordo "Midnight" beans in the pantry. Still missing some ingredients.

I remember feijoada often containing beef products, especially carne seca (dried beef). Is authentic Brazilian-style carne seca available in the US?

The Roca recipe is Warm Cod with Spinach, Idiazabal Cream, Pine Nuts and Pedro Ximénez Reduction Seal the cod (with skin) under low-ish pressure so it doesn't get damaged in the process. Roca puts olive oil in the bag. The recipe calls for "de-salted" cod, so I don't know how this will translate to fresh cod. The portions are 3 1/2 oz each. Let the fish warm to close to room temp (18°C/64°F) before cooking. Cook at 50°C/122°F for 12 minutes. This will warm the cod through but not gelatinize the proteins. It should be somewhat translucent.

The CVap Cook and Hold is more than just a steamer. I heard about it on Shola's blog. They claim that the processor can calculate the FDA hold time automatically. Interesting.

Count me in, too!

I had a beef heart dish at Alinea that I'm pretty sure was done sous vide. The meat was sliced paper-thin and was absolutely delicious. (Picture on Flickr) Judging from the texture, I'm guessing that it would have been a bit chewy if not for the thin slicing. So if you're going for paper-thin slices maybe you don't need to cook it quite so tender? My snapshot makes the meat look kind of grey, but it was actually a uniform rosy pink. Not that you'd want me to share here.

Add me to the list.

Ruth Reichl mentions Tennessee Truffles in the new Gourmet online: Highs and Lows Down South. Sounds like she was impressed.

I just started reading Kitchen Mysteries. It's a new book (in English), published in 2007. The copyright for the French edition is 1993. There are some similarities to the earlier volume, but this one aims to "explain" cooking in practical terms. There are lots of little essays on cooking techniques.

The first season is available online at the new Gourmet Magazine web site. (discovered via this eG topic) My local PBS station was carrying it on the Create Channel, a subchannel of their digital broadcast. They started carrying PBS HD and dropped the Create Channel. Oh well, I guess I'll be able to download the new episodes eventually.

I just got a 100-micron bag from Le Sanctuaire. There are no cleaning instructions included, and the ICC web site doesn't have any info either. I'm wondering whether exposure to harsh chemicals will shorten the lifespan of the bag. Does bleach damage the fabric? If I use a strong alcohol (like Everclear) to sterilize it and speed drying, will that weaken the fabric? Questions, questions...

nsxtasy, you may have noticed a certain "Iron Chef" theme to the menu. So, no pierogies on the New Year's Eve menu. The pierogies were on the menu at the cleveland.com forum lunch on Friday: I also got to taste something that isn't on the dinner menu: The Fried Bologna Sandwich. It's a huge slab of house-cured bologna with pickles, cheddar cheese, and topped with a fried egg. Classic Michael Symon - take a seemingly humble food and make it spectacular. More pics on Flickr if you're interested.

<Center> New Year's Eve dinner at Lola. <hr> The Menu Amuse Bouche Lamb Tartare with Olives, Citrus and Greek Yogurt First Course Lobster Bisque with Crispy Bacon and Poached Lobster or Potato and Truffle Soup with Chives and Garlic Confit Second Course Sweet Potato and Crab Salad with Grilled Corn, Bacon and Aioli or Grilled Quail with Salsa Verde and Blackberries Intermezzo Lemon Creme Fraiche Sorbet Third Course Swordfish Sous-Vide with Fennel, Dill, Mint and Cucumber or Soft Polenta with Crispy Mushrooms and Marscarpone (no-one at our table tried this one, but we heard it was outstanding) Fourth Course Grilled Swordfish with Chorizo or Roasted Venison with Parsnip Puree and Roasted Carrots (Hopefully NancyH got a decent picture of this one) Fifth Course "6 a.m. Special" with Bacon Ice Cream and Brioche French Toast or Warm Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Ice Cream (Again, counting on NancyH to have a good picture ) or Selection of Artisanal Cheeses (We didn't try this one, but someone at a neighboring table said the cheeses were excellent) </Center> I'll have to collect my thoughts a bit before posting my impressions. Suffice to say, it lived up to my (very high) expectations.

I joined Nancy, Bob, and several other Slow Food folks at C & Y yesterday. (Not a formal SF event, just an impromptu get-together). We enjoyed many of the dishes that Nancy documented above, plus a few others: Several steamed dishes: bean curd skin wrappers in the forground, siu mai and beef ribs in the background. All were quite tasty and fresh. I especially enjoyed the beef ribs. Cha siu bao: Barbecued pork buns. The dough was lighter and softer than I expected. These are steamed rather than baked. Sesame Balls: glutinous rice wrapped around a sweet paste filling, rolled in sesame seeds and deep fried. I nice contrast between the crunchy exterior and the soft filling. Taro Balls: A savory pork and shrimp filling surrounded by mashed taro root, deep-fried golden and crunchy. Egg custard tarts. We went early (11:00 AM), before the crowds arrived. All of the food was freshly made and delicious. The amazing thing is that our bill, including tax and tip, came to $120 for eight people. We feasted on a huge selection of wonderful Dim Sum for $15 each! I'm so glad we've got this place in Cleveland.

I use buttermilk in the marinade, but wipe most of it off before the chicken goes into the SV pouch.

Daniel, I've done fried chicken that way. Cook the chicken on the pink side since it will cook some more when you fry it. You need to drain the juices off of the SV chicken (save 'em for another purpose) and dry it so you can do the dredging / battering. I think it works better if you chill the SV'd chicken before battering. Frying will bring it back to temp, and cook the last bit of pink out (for those who are squeamish about pink chicken). Crunchy on the outside, moist and steamy on the inside.