Susan in FL

We eat a lot of oysters, but my husband opens them. If you don't get other responses answering your question, I'll check with him about what to use other than an oyster knife, to eat them raw. It they are very fresh, they will certainly last in your fridge. When we lived up north and bought a bushel at a time during the winter, when oysters "R" in season, we left them in the burlap bag out of doors for up to a week. I would say do not wash after opening!

Interesting. I have bought deli rotisserie chicken a few times, and while some are better than others, the skin isn't crispy. The skin is crispy when I rotisserie cook it myself.

What kind of miso would you suggest as the every-day type to keep in the fridge? Whenever I buy some, it gets too old before I've used it up. I would like to know about red, dark, light, etc... what to buy to have available for general purposes. I like the miso-glazed fish dishes and miso sauces for pork, etc. and I want to have something on hand for recipes that call for miso. How long do you keep it?

What kind of salmon is the best? It seems to me, much like beef, the quality "isn't what it used to be," with all the farm-raised and such. I love salmon, but often we are disappointed if it's not of high quality. Chinook, Sockeye, Atlantic, Alaskan... I really don't know a lot of what I'm talking about, so please tell me what to seek when I buy it. What kind? What's the appearance... deep red color? Shiney? We have some good seafood shops, and I would love to know what to ask for or look for.

Good Morning! Wish the cup of coffee I am sipping right now was prepared by you, malachi. Thanks, jgould and Java-Joe, as well. I've been half-watching this topic all along, and these last few posts really grabbed my attention. Very informative, and appetizing.

I beg to differ, but as they say, to each his own. We've cooked (including boiling) many a lobster, mostly Maine, and it has never been "water-logged."

I beg to differ, but as they say, to each his own. We've cooked many a lobster, mostly Maine, and it has never been "water-logged."

If you're a beer lover, go to Old Dominion. Awesome beer, some of the best in the country.

Same here! Amazing... I would never have imagined so many photos of quail eggs. I love those babies. Nice job!

Tonight I tested a recipe for Leite's Culinaria, Roasted Cornish Hens with Toasted Bread Crumb Salsa. We had grilled vegetables and Beaujolais with it. The recipe is from Weir Cooking in the City.

Hell yes. I guess it's hard for us to resist spouting out our knowledge of lobsters and asking what type of recipe you're looking for and pointing out how boiled fresh lobster is the best recipe... (I've always wished I had so many lobsters that I had to look up recipes for variations of how to eat it.) Having said that ... I love lobster pasta recipes, and usually don't follow a recipe precisely, but here are a couple that I like for ideas. Maria Batali's Recipe for Fettucine with Lobster Pantelleria-Style; I make lobster and pasta with a cream sauce and don't really use a recipe, but here is a guide... Upper Deck Lobster and Pasta; Lobster ravioli is good. So is lobster bisque, and for that I usually kind of sort of follow a recipe for shrimp bisque. I also like to make lobster risotto once in a while. Hope these ideas help.

pcarpen, you make beautiful food! It always looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your photos.

Hope you didn't hit yourself too hard, and glad you found out what it was you enjoyed!

John Mariani's recipe calls for a chopped white truffle! I don't think that would be how I would choose to use a white truffle... For years, we've used the same recipe of gently heating the EVOO with minced garlic, anchovies, and a pinch of fennel seeds, just enough to flavor the oil and being careful not to cook it too much. Then, I take it off the heat and whisk in the butter, so the butter doesn't break down. If you do choose to keep the sauce warmed while you're eating this and you have a flame under the serving, be careful it's not too hot or the butter will break down. Usually we don't make a meal of it like yesterday, and have it for an appetizer or first course, limiting the selection of vegetables. My favorite are the steamed baby potatoes and the Belgian endives, green or yellow squash, mushrooms, and cauliflower. And, yum... cooked baby artichokes. I couldn't find any fresh ones for yesterday.

Not the Metro DC area, but I must say in Rehoboth Beach, the Nation's Summer Capital, it's the Cultured Pearl... some of the best sushi we've had in the country.

Speaking as a mom, I have such fond memories of my limited experience with military food. My son in the Navy invited me to a "Dining Out" and it was wonderful. Multi-course meal, with wines to match the food... and Port at the end. With that Port, I think it was the world's record for toasts! The food at his graduation from Officer Candidate School was pretty good, too.

A favorite thing to eat, tonight we added steamed shrimp, to make a meal of it. Any good accounts of Bagna Cauda to share? I've got just enough sauce left to have the traditional scrambled eggs tomorrow morning! What wine to accompany Bagna Cauda? 1998 LAN Rioja Crianza was a real good match this time.

Valentine's Day and Daytona 500 weekend has always been a special romantic weekend for us. Being Floridians, it's even better, as it heralds in the spring/summer season. To celebrate, last night's main entree was boneless duck breasts with a delicious cherry sauce, wild mushroom risotto, and a bottle of 2000 Cristom Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Reserve. Tonight, adding steamed shrimp to the selections, we made a meal of Bagna Cauda and 1998 LAN Rioja Crianza, after an afternoon of some really fine beers and snacks.

A chocolate-strawberry margarita? Oh well, the lots of good makes up for the little bit of bad. You and Der Brucer keep on having fun and reporting back!

Thanks, Chris! I "tuned in" to this topic hoping to see the first posts about last night come in...

As always SWoodyWhite, you have got it right! I've been applauding Rehoboth's restaurants for years, and thinking that Mariani or the like should give it more attention. It's nice to read about your appreciation of the fine dining mecca.

This is interesting. The salmon thing intrigues me. I love fresh salmon, as well as smoked salmon, if it is good quality. My husband, who will eat almost anything, doesn't care for it. He eats much more indiscriminately than I do. It seems to me that I, with a more discriminating palate, would have more dislikes than he does. It seems like I wouldn't like the salmon, but I do. I like just about everything of high quality, and well prepared, except for the aforementioned coconut, marzipam, and jello salads. And oh yeah, black licorice. What's up with this?!

Beautiful! We love squid salads... thanks for the idea of white beans.

Nor was I ever forced to finish a meal, clean my plate, etc. etc. etc.... Food wise, my parents raised me the same way, and that is part of what I attribute to my open-mindness and wine range of food tastes. At least they got that part right.

I can't think of any food I hate. The closest I can come to that is coconut, but still, hate or aversion would he too strong a term. I have eaten coconut shrimp. Coconut, Marzipam, jello salads... I can't think of any stronger aversions, and it's not like those things break me out in hives or anything like that. P.S. I dislike cream-of whatever soups, but that would come under the category of poorly prepared or overly processed foods. Therdogg, I'm with you.