ludja

click Sounds good; I'm looking forward to the complete index being made available. It would certainly help me to maintain my subscription as the lack of an index (either online or printed yearly in the Jan or Dec issue) has been a major drawback for me with respect to this magazine.

This reminds me also of "Russian Salad" or Salade Russe which is also a popular Spanich tapas. Bascially it is a vegetable salad usually with potatoes, peas, green beans, maybe carrots. There are many versions but they usually have potatoes and peas. Sometimes meat like ham or tuna is added or eggs. I think the dressing is often creamy but I've also seen ones dressed in vinegar and oil in some of my Spanish cookbooks. This doesn't look like a very exciting recipe to me but it gives an idea of the approach: click The salad is also popular in Russia, I believe, but it's not called "Russian Salad" there. A friend made a terrific potato salad once with peas. I think it was potatoes, peas, onions, (green onions?), fresh tarragon and a simple wine vinegar vinaigrette. I've always wanted to duplicate that dish. I always use peas (and carrots) in the turkey pot pie I make after Thanksgiving, but one could also make some chicken or ham pot pies. edited to add: I made a great pea side dish for Easter that I will make again; it's Pea and Fava Bean Ragout from Chez Panisse Vegetables. I also added chopped asparagus to it that I had pre-blanched. You just stew the peas, peeled fava beans and (asparagus; if using) in a mixture of butter and olive oil over low heat. Add a few slivers of garlic to the mix as well. At the end, add a chiffonade of basil and/or mint and season with salt and pepper. Excellent and very easy! She also suggests that you could thin this out with a small amount of chicken stock and use it as a pasta sauce. I think it would also be great over fresh split biscuits in a type of savory shortcake or over a pan fried risotto cake. I think it would also make a nice light lunch or meal served with some fresh cornbread. Other vegetables that she suggests could be part of the mix: artichoke hearts, sugar snap peas, morels, tender green beans, spring onions, green garlic, proscuitto (thin slices) and slices of boiled new potatoes. I think all the variations would work very well. Pancetta would also be another nice add in.

"Welcome", dhdav66! I like A Gracious Plenty very much as well. I've taken it out of the library many times but do not yet own a copy. The author, John T. Edge, is a member of the eGullet Society and also posts on the boards occasionally.

click It's true that the Lee Bros. take a little poetic license with some recipes; nevertheless it's still on my list to add as part of my collection. They do have have nice "color" commentary before each recipe that gives a little background but mostly evokes their childhood experiences, etc in Charleston. I would heartily recommend the Lewis and Peacock book, espeically if you're just buying one Southern cookbook. It's traditional and wonderful and has a combination of well and lesser known recipes. Edna Lewis was from Virginia and Peacock is from Alabama so there is a nice mix of recipes from different parts of the South as well. Here is a topic on "Cooking to Honor Edna Lewis" (who died a few years ago), most of the recipes and meals cited are from "The Gift of Southern Cooking": click If I only had to pick one this would probably be it. If you can squeeze one more in consider Bill Neal's "Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie". This has all the greatness of traditional southern baking from A-Z and the author gives great backstories on the origins/uses of the recipes. I've baked extensively from it and everything has turned out very well. (The Lewis and Peacock book does have a nice section on cakes, pies and desserts, but if I had to strip my Southern Cookbook collection down to two books, it would be these two.)

Interesting post, Rebel Rose and comments by others. I also just happened to read Gladwell's "Blink". Besides thinking about the triangle tests and variants designed to detect small variations I also found it interesting that people apparently preferred Pepsi in sip tests but that Coca Cola won out when drinking a larger portion. I definatly do modulate my wine choices depending on whether I will drink just one glass or more and if food will be available while drinking the wine. I find that some wines (even nice ones) seem to fatigue my palate more quickly if I don't have them with food. I should re-read parts of the book and specifically think more closely about when I taste and evaluate wine and how I "thin slice" it... In addition to the fact that he gives some beverage and food examples in the book I think the first example he gives via the experts who can immediately tell that the greek statue acquired by the Getty was a fake even though they can't articulate the reasons immediately. I've had the lucky opportunity to taste a fair number of wines including some of quality and distinction so I feel I've learned but often I can't put it into words. "Balanced" and "long finsish" are the words I feebly turn to most often after tasting a great a wine. (I know these are ivalid and mportant decscriptors vut it's difficult to go beyond that sometime for me besides describing particular flavors.)

I recently saw an article mentioning the 175th birthday of the Original Sacher Torte from the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. I linked to the article in this earlier thread on Sachertorte in the Pastry and Baking thread: click Has anyone tried either of the two Sachertorte recipes that Rodger's gives in the book? I think I would be tempted to use the second recipe he gives that is attributed to a Viennese professional baker, Leschanz. In this version, the cake is cut into 3 layers. Each layer is filled with apricot glaze as is the outside of the cake before it is coated with the chocolate glaze. Rodger's says the extra layers (3, as opposed to 2 in the Sacher version and 1 in the Demel version) yield a taller cake and more moistness from the addition of the extra apricot glaze layer. Sounds good to me. This cake is on the dryer side and while whipped cream is indeed a happy requirement alongside I think I would still like the extra apricot layer. Any other new experiments to share from the book?

I believe the Sacher Hotel version splits the cake, filling it with a thin layer of apricot glaze while the Demel Konditorei does not. I'm not sure if Demel uses an apricot glaze on the outside of the cake though. I thought of this thread when I ran across an article the other day mentioning that it was the 175th birthday of the Sacher Torte and that the original recipe was still secret... click Regarding the secrecy, the article mentions that a descendent of Sacher released what she says is the original recipe to an Austrian newspaper. Here's a link to the recipe (in German): click I think other "original" recipes have popped up from time to time; I'm not sure if this latest original recipe has more or less credibility. In any case, to me it's more just a fun thing to hear about the secret recipe and the stories and traditions surrounding it. Another thing to mention, the Hotel Sacher says it bakes over 320,000 Sacher Tortes per year. Yikes, that's almost a 1000 cakes/day! Edited to add: Just remembered that I have baked a Sacher Torte once with my Mom awhile back; have no idea which recipe it was though. We baked it for an older Viennese gentleman who had lived in the US for many years. Tasting the cake brought tears to his eyes (in a good way). I have several recipes now but would probably first try one of the two recipes that Rick Rodgers gives in his cookbook on Austro-Hungarian and Czech desserts in Kaffehaus .

I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience with Oesterreicher im MAK. Based on what I've read about it so far, it's on my list of places to check out during a trip to Vienna this summer It's located in the MAK (Museum fur Angewandte Kunst) or Museum for Applied Art that has among other things great collections from the Wiener Werkstaette. The chef at the restaurant and cafe in the museum is Helmut Oesterreicher who was previously the chef at famed Vienna restaurant, Steirereck mentioned in previous posts. The food at "Oesterreicher im MAK" is desribed as being divided into two menus; one with classic Viennese cuisine and the other with newer interpretations of Viennese dishes. Here's a link to a menu that has the classic Viennese dishes: click Here's a link to another part of the restaurant website that has photos of the restaurant: click It looks like a beautiful setting. Osterreicher im MAK Gashaus & Bar 5 Stubenring, 1st Tel: 714 01 21 (Southeastern part of the Ring and northeast of the Stadtpark)

I read an interesting book that I thought I would pass on to people that have been interested in this thread. Food Politics :How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle (2002) The author is a faculty member in the deparment of Nutrition and Food Studies at NY University. In addition she has significant government experience with previous appointments in the Dept. of Human Health and Human Services, Dept. of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. There is so much information in the book that it is difficult to summarize. Here is a quote from the dust jacket: If other people read the book or already have perhaps we could start another thread; I just thought I would point it out here. The book is pretty densely filled with information; and the content is well referenced. The focus in this book is more on corporationsa and industries that produce food rather than chain restaurants but the underlying themes and information are critical to also understanding the trends in portion size, calorie amount and fat and sugar amounts in chain restaurant food that have been discussed in this thread.

A nice, simple room temperature broccoli salad option is to just toss blanched, as jdtofbna mentioned (not raw), broccoli in a seasoned lemon, olive oil vinaigrette. Depending on what else you are serving in the meal you can add some crushed red pepper and some grated hard cheese like pecorino romano or parmesean. The broccoli just need to be blanched for 5 min and its a good thing to shock them in some cold water if you can to stop the cookng and seal the color.

i love zuni and have to have at least one meal there every time i'm in san francisco. i've learned over the years, though, that it's not everybody's cup of tea. it's a certain kind of restaurant that doesn't seem to be as much appreciated in this country as it is other places--a restaurant that is not based on surprise and novelty, where the menu stays fairly stable but where the individual dishes are so special that you find yourself hankering for them. is there a more perfect dish than the house-cured anchovies with celery and parmesan? and of course the roast chicken? i've been going for 20 years. it's like old love versus new romance. ← I feel the same way about Zuni; I've been going there for about 15 years and I always thoroughly enjoy the food and the ambiance. In about 20 or 25 visits over the years I think there was only one instance where we felt the service and food was not up to their regular standards. I"m a big fan of Quince and Delfina as well.

Here's a link to the recent thread of rec's for places easier on the wallet in SF: click Thanks for the nice report, MarketStEl...

I usually like "plain" creme brulees but one of the best variants I've had a restaurant was also a passion fruit creme brulee. I don't think the seeds were used in the dish except maybe as a garnish. The creme was smooth and I think some passion fruit juice was used in the brulee topping which was crisp and had a nice "bite" of the passion fruit. I'm not sure how the topping was done--passion fruit juice mixed with brown sugar and this then bruleed? Also curious to hear other's thoughts or experiences. Thanks for the tips on flavoring the creme, ryanj!

Thank you so much for a wonderful blog, jgarner! Hopefully we'll get a chance to see the final kitchen photos here or maybe on your renovation thread. If you have a chance to answer this, what is your favorite item to bake at work? Your least favorite? I guess these choices may change over time. Also, since there are so many set things that people expect from the bakery, how often are you baking new items? Thanks again; everything was great from the shots of the kitchen at work and at home and your lovely kitty!

Blood sausage is legit in the US. I had some a few months ago. ← Absolutely; it can just be difficult to find if you don't hava a German butcher/deli (ask for Blutwurst) or access to French sausages (boudin noir). That being said, while it may not be illegal it's not that common so you may enjoy it if you don't have access to German sausages where you're travelling from.

Yes, cured meats, sausages and cold cuts would definately be among the top things I would search for in Germany although I'd also check out what was on hand in that category in France and the Netherlands given the first itinerary.

Thanks for "beating me to the punch", mukki! I've been waiting for Dunlop's book to hit US shores and I'm also waiting for Russ Parson's book with interest! Another egullet member also has a book coming out later this spring: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. Here's some publisher's reviews from Amazon: click and I need to check this out; I already have Luchetti's ice cream book from last year penciled in on my list but this sounds wonderful as well.

If you're staying near or in Los Gatos for your Manresa meal and will be there on Sunday am, consider checking out the Fermer's Merket there as well.

I love the sweet items at your bakery but I'm also a big fan of the savory tarts! On one memorable occasion we bought some savory tart slices and some macarons and brought them along for a hike in the Marin Headlands. They were polished off for lunch on a rock at a beautiful little beach under the cliffs. Congrats on your tart art... <smile>

Not banned in the US but difficult to find here are good quality schnapps. I'm not sure what the top flavors are in Germany but in Austria apricot and gentian are two popular ones. You may get some more ideas for unique spirits from each of countries by perusing this thread: Unusual Liqueurs (These may serve as some nice souvenirs as well...)

I had a nice ham sandwich for lunch today with mayonnaise and horseradish; a nice combination. I also like to a cold salad with chunks of ham, and blanched peas, broccoli and carrots. I also always make up some Chinese fried rice as mentioned above and the bone definately goes to make some nice ham stock. This can be frozen and then unearthed when your're ready for ham again in the nice bean soups others mentioned. I'll often make stir fry wth bok choy and soy sauce and chicken stock and add ham and garlic to this; serve with rice. Ham goes great at breakfast too-- in omelets or with biscuits. This year b/c I have a lot of ham left over I think I'll make the unfortuntely named, perhaps for our modern ears, "potted ham". Mix about a cup of finely ground ham with 2 sieved hard boiled egg yolks, 4 Tbs butter and little powdered mustard. Seal with some clarified butter and this will extend the life of the ham for sandwiches or canape snacks for hors d'oeuvres later on. I make a couple of recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks as well--Patricia Wells "Bistro Cooking". Cook some thin pasta liek capellini and drain. Toss with pieces of ham, black olives, lemon zest, black pepper, a little fresh thyme and olive oil and lemon juice. A nice room temperature dish. She has another nice salad that I make as well: escarole or some other nice greens with ham, walnuts, shaving of Gruyere cheese and served with a vinaigrette. She make a creme fraich vinaigrette with Dijon mustar, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and walnut or olive oil... She also has a nice recipe for Poulet or Chicken Basquaise. (chicken, ham, hot peppers, onion and tomatoes.

This is perfect! It's been so much fun to follow your kitchen renovation thread and now we'll get to see the new kitchen in depth as well as your first week cooking in it. Thank you for blogging this week; I'm looking forward to it all, including the visit to your bakery!

I haven't found many places if any, that carry European style charcuterie. Haven't been to Alpine Sausage Kitchen, and haven't heard that it is closed. I will drive by there this week and check it out. ... ← I found out that the Alpine Sausage Kitchen is definately still open! I will definately check it out next time I'm there.

I'm the same way with chocolate chip cookies; I love the original recipe and I don't make chocolate chip cookies that often. When I do, I always make this recipe! Great thread topic, smithey!!! I need to think a little bit about my other choices but there are a few recipes also for me that are so delicious and/or have special memories attached to them so that they've become defintiive with me.

I just remembered something else about chimichurri. Trader Joe's sells a chimichurri rice that is very good. So another way to use up frozen stores of chimichurri would be to blend it with rice and maybe some sauteed onions.