ludja

You were there on a good day. On a bad day I got some undercooked sausage (I mean, raw at the core) and a dreadful dessert. ← Wow--I guess I was-- comparatively at least! Thanks for the Chant'Airelle recommendation!

Malgieri has a recipe for a pistachio confection--kind of like a brittle that you bake in little rounds... (no flour in it). I don't have any pistachio cookie recipes per se in any of my Italian cookbooks (not even in a Sicilian one) but pistachio biscotti are very nice... Two other Italian dessert cookbooks that have some nice cookie recipes in them (not necessarily, "Boston" italian) and that you may find at the library are: Patisserie of Italy by Jeni Wright & La Dolce Vita by Michele Scicolone

spot on response Fernwood... I was trying to remember if some of the bakeries had other memorable cookies--but I think in many cases it is as you say. Not that there aren't other good Italian cookies, but lots of bakeries tend to have just what you describe--good amaretti and pignoli and then a bunch of other rather drab-usually vegetable shortening-- cookies!

What are people's thoughts on Brasserie Bofinger (right near the Place de Vosges). I liked L'Ambassade D'Auvergene on my "virgin" trip to Paris--it's in the Marais and serves hearty food from Auvergne, including a special potato-Cantal cheese dish. (I think some on egullet do not like this place).

you can use cardamom to make chai with. ← a few people mentioned star anise above--also good for chai. (In fact I just cleaned out my spice shelf a month ago and made chai for awhile using star anise, cardamom and other spices I hadn't used in awhile). As NulloModo and others mentioned, marjoram is similar to a mild oregano. It's very common in Austrian cooking (instead of oregano) in stews, goulashes, etc.

Here's a useful cookbook you may be able to get out of the library: Nick Malgieri's "Great Italian Desserts". One of the classic Italian cookies (non biscotti) sold in the North End is the Amaretti (Italian Macaroons) mentioned above, these, of course, are with almonds, not coconut. They can be plain, or "ai Pignoli"--studded w/pignoli nuts on the outside). There are lots of other nice cookie recipes in this book... edited to add: you should be able to find recipes for the amaretti w/ and w/o pinenuts on the net. The ingredients are: almond paste, egg whites, and sugar,

neat list misstenacity... Pinto beans are even cheaper (and better tasting) if you buy them dried. Pork shoulder is also a great cut that you can often get at $2/lb; good for stews... with beans, posole, potatoes, etc.

Two flavors I love to make which are not 'way' out there, but not very common: ricotta ice cream pear ice cream Someone else mentioned basil above; I had a great thai basil ice cream once; it was served with dark chocolate shavings on top-- very good. Maybe a thai basil chocolate chip ice cream would be nice.... I've made 'home made' chocolate chip ice cream by drizzlilng in melted chocolate while stirring/freezing the ice cream. (This is great with cinnamon ice cream as well).

One interesting place to look: Capogiro Gelato thread from Philadelphia... prune armagnac ice cream chai ice cream

Interesting you should mention this example... I actually like this drink and have had it many times at Trader Vics. They just had a big spread on Trader Vic's in this month's Saveur and published their recipe-- juice of 1 lime, 4 oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai mix (blend of oregeat and orange curaco), 1 oz light rum, 1 oz gold rum, and 1/2 oz dark rum. Shake with ice and serve over crushed ice. Garnish w/half of squeezed lime, a cucumber spear and a sprig of mint. (So this version is somewhat similar to DeGroff's version--but no oj, also, the cucumber and mint are an impt part of what makes it a very interesting drink IMHO. (Also impt-- the healthy amount of lime; this is not a sweet drink), I know what you mean about the different recipes re:this drink though. Before we could wranple a recipe out of the Trader Vic's bartender awhile back, I searched on the internet and found the bourbon/gin version you mentioned above... As a side note, the Saveur article gives a provenance of this drink: Shephard's Hotel in Cairo.

A friend of mine raved about the 'white honey" found on the Big Island. Haven't had it myself but have been intrigued to try it after hearing her description. Maybe someone else has experience and an opinion on it... it may be hype for all I know! link

I love shrimp and grits and the version you mention sounds very nice. I have only eaten (and made) them with soft cheese grits... Hopefully someone will pipe up from experience re: fried grits. I can offer only "written" wisdon from Bill Neal's "Good Old Grits Cookbook". It may be similar to somethings you've already tried... Make basic boiled grits-- 1 cup stone-ground grits 4 cups water 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 2 Tbs unsalted butter Pour grits into bowl and cover w/cold water--remove any chaff that floats to the surface. Bring the 4 cups of water to the boil, add salt and slowly stir in grits. Cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally until they are done--about 40 min. Take off the heat and add in butter. Pour into ungreased loaf pan and let cool until firm. To cook, turn out loaf and slice into 1/2 slices. Dredge slices w/a flour, s&p mix. Heat ~ 1/4 inch of butter in pan over medium-high. Cook on each side ~ 5 min until golden. (Again--I haven't made these mysefl; Neal is usually very reliable though so it may be worth a whirl. To expand, I trust him implicitlly in his other books I have; I just haven't done much with grits other than plain or cheese and haven't explored this cookbook yet.)

excellent question; I'm in the same boat; just used a couple for turkey chili... edited: per Nullo Modo's post below... I used more than a couple--also used a bunch of Chimayo red chile... it was plenty flavorful and spicy. For the amount I was making-- a whole can would have definately been overload!

Just another comment--these are "big" wines--looking at the menu melkor posted (which looks v. exciting!) there could be many courses which would be overpowered by these... The David Bruce Pinot Noir would be a more likely candidate than the Petit Syrahs for the tasting menu. A quick stop at the David Bruce tasting room off of 17 could help in determining if they have an appropriate Pinot.... Speaking of white rhones though (and Santa Cruz Mountain wineries), I just had a very nice white wine from Bonny Doon-- a Roussanne-dominated blend (some Grenache Blanc): Le Cigare Blanc. It is very crisp and has a good amount of acidity. I don't think it is strictlly Santa Cruz Mtn grapes though (if any); the appellation is listed as "California". (thanks for posting the menu, melkor!)

David Bruce-- Pinot Noir or Petit Syrah could be a good choice in addition to Ridge. Their wines, especially those from the Santa Cruz Mtns applelation, are distinctive and very good. Also, in the price range you are looking for ($40-$60)

Here's a description of some of the new dishes: click I've only been to the bar and peeked into the restaurant (before and after).

I was just poking around my local mexcian market recently (no coincidence, I was inspired by this thread to do some investigating re: tamales). In a refrigerator case they had plastic packages filled with masa--reading the package, one already had lard in it; the other not. Both came from 'masa' factories relatively close by. When I tackle this, my plan is to get the fresh masa w/o lard and to add my own in. (as fifi described above).

It is pretty cozy in there... Both times we were there though we had a spot in a corner so we did fine. I also do remember that the wine was marked up quite a bit in comparison some other high end places. It's still on my list to go back to though; we had a nice dinner there with very good food.

Here are two articles that give some additional background on his life: Napa News and Local Vinters Remember Brother Timothy Thanks for posting this Carolyn. He sounds like a special man and an interesting part of Napa history as well.

The stroopwafeln I've had do have a similar wafer cookie to what Stephen Jackson described, but the inside filling is a type of caramel syrup--not really a praline (no ground nuts). Maybe there are different kinds? The Pischinger Oblatentorte sound like a good candidate; but I guess we'll hear from Stephen...

It's about 60 miles between the two. It's a very scenic drive, I've only driven it during the day. Can't recall if it would be too challenging for driving at night; I think not but then that would also depend on the weather...

For Durango, finer dining, I'd recommend Seasons. Delicous grilled meat dishes with some inventive but not over the top twists. Nice wine list; have eaten there several times and never been disappointed. (They have a few restaurants, one in Abq also--always good). After or before dinner swing by the real old West bar at the Strater Hotel for drinks.

Preceding the pie for me would be either artichoke or green chile cream soup wiht their home made bread--and an order of fries thrown in. Nice to eat in the bar area if it's not too crowded--mingle with the locals and check out the 100 year old plus bar. Another favorite place is Volpis in downtown Petaluma -- for dinner or lunch in the restaurant I can't comment--but the little Italian deli attached to it makes great, generous and reasonably priced Italian sandwiches with wonderful bread and cold cuts--proscuitto, mortadella, sopresseta, provolone, peppers, you name it. One of my favorite places to pick up a lunch for a day in the wine country or en route up to Mendocino.

yes, and this method even works on a plastic laminate faux wood counter in my apt.!

Another vote for Gary Danko. Check out their website if you'd like an idea of what they offer. You'll surely have some wonderful choices of dishes with fois gras, lobster, etc. Also nice, is that if you see a dish that you really like that is listed as an appetizer, you can request it for a main dish. That is, you can create your own 3-, 4- or 5-course meal. They also have a very good cheese course; the cheese is wheeled to your table for choosing. The dining room is understated but elegant; the service excellent; we had one of the most special dinners we've had in SF there. Another place that was at that level for me is Aqua. Only caveat is that I have not been there for a number of years so I do not know where it is right now in terms of quality. (I know there is a different chef). It is a more dramatic room. The food and service were luxurious and very good.