ludja

(f you don't have access to the fresh blooms you might try starting with d'Arbo's White Elderflower Syrup click

Great idea for those three-tiered hanging wire baskets. My storage place is unique but just happens to work out well for me. In a hallway that goes by the kitchen on one side I have a chest that mainly contains out of season clothes. But in one top corner I store clean, folded dishtowels. It's very easy to snag a towel whenever I need a new one.

MarketStEl couldn't resist a west coast comparison for cheesesteak as part of his Bay Area adventure: click Looking forward to seeing what other eats you found out here during your trip, MarketStEl!

Paraphrasing Kim Shook from her nice nice trip report from NYC, "There aren't good diners, delis or subs" in Richmond, VA. I'll add, not in the Bay Area either! So much great food out here but don't look for super subs, grinders, hoagies or cheesesteaks... The one sandwich I discovered out here and that you can get great renditions of is Vietnamese Banh Mi. It's fun that you tried the cheesesteak though!

Chimichurri sauce! See thread for the recipe I've use: click. It's great with almost any roasted or grilled meat and I think it would be good with shrimp or fish also! Fat Guy started a thread mentioning its glories as a pizza topping: click Looking back at the ingredients of the recipe I gave, I think one could successfully freeze this also (to preserve the bounty). I might leave out the vinegar and lemon juice for the freezing step and then add these in when thawing. Oregano and garlic are so nice with lamb as well; also clams or fish. Think Greek and also look to Spain and Portugal besides Italy! Also, I think there are nice applications in Mexican cooking and I'm sure other Latin American cuisines although I'm not as familiar with those. Both fresh and dried oregano are nice and their affect seem to be quite different. A simple compound butter with fresh oregano and maybe lemon zest seems like it would be so nice on a grilled, broiled or steamed fish. I'm sure others will more have specfic ideas!

This menu is so nice, hummingbirdkiss. I like the idea of the seafood appetizer and the main course fish. Instead of the fava bean/manchego cheese/salami appetizer I was thinking of making a poached salmon salad that I've made before. It's dressed with cucumber/wine vinegar vinaigrette and also includes fava beans, asparagus tips, peas, green onions, etc. The other appetizer won out this time because I haven't tried it yet and the flavors sound interesting to me. I've always wanted to make a homemade Green Goddess dressing (Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook has what looks like a great version). Fresh wonderful herbs are also a great harbinger of spring and renewal. Also how wonderful to have the rolls! I was thinking of making buttery, tender Parker House rolls this Easter but I don't think I'll be able to fit them in. Have you made the orange rolls before? What are they like and how is the orange flavor incorporated? The Caribbean Black Cake is the most interesting; I wouldn't think of it at Easter but I think you mentioned in another thread that it's a family tradition; pretty cool.

We're on the same wavelength across the miles! Your earlier post made me check out the shrimp/orange/radicchio first course dish in Wolfert's "Slow Mediterranean"; I'll keep that in mind for another time. Thanks also for the Polanaise topping idea. Since I"m serving the stuffed eggs I'll probably just use the buttered croutons and parsley this time; but the full garnish sounds nice. I like to collect soup garnishes to add to my repertoire. Fennel does go nicely with ham or lamb. I'm loving all the menus posted so far; such a nice range of styles and dishes. It always a pleasurable dilemma to decide on the Easter menu for me--lamb or ham. And then there's figuring out how to include asparagus, artichokes, fava beans, peas, mint, fennel, etc. One constant is that I almost always serve boiled new potatoes in their skin with parsley and butter; so simple but so delicious. Thanks for sharing the dried fava bean dip, greekcook! Maybe I'll make that for the bookclub meeting I'm hosting next week.

I'm still fiddlng around with my menu but here is what I'm thinking: Stuffed Eggs with Horseradish (my new favorite stuffed egg variation) Easter Kielbasa with mustard Sweet Butter with Minced Radishes and Lemon on thin brown bread Tarmosalata Spread with French Bread Cream of Cauliflower Soup Fresh Fava Bean Salad with Salami, Mint and Manchego Cheese (A recipe I've been wanting to try from the Zuni Cookbook.) Baked Ham New Potatoes with butter and parsley Fennel Gratin Ragout of Peas, Asparagus Tips and Fava Beans Pink Grapefruit Supremes with Port and Mint Granita (Pierre Herme Desserts) Cream Biscuits filled with Crème Fraiche and served with a warm Cointreau syrup with Strawberries and Mangoes I guess the minor theme this year will be fava beans (raw and cooked), mint and cream...

Check out this thread that discusses the differences in price between high end European and US cookbooks: click

Love that quote; I need to remember that. Both the desserts sound great. I wouldn't have thought of the sea salt/berries/warm creme anglaise and the chocolate-butter-port sauce also sound amazing.

Well, to each his own, but I definately like the non-corn syrup versions much better. I make a recipe from Bill Neal's "Biscuits, Cornbread and Sweet Potato Pie" and also another recipe for "Old Fashioned Southern Pecan Pie" from "The New Doubleday Cookbook". One uses all brown sugar (and eggs, vanilla, salt, milk and butter); the other uses a little white sugar also and adds some boubon. PM me if you want the recipe. Here's a quote from Mark Bittman in a wikipedia article: click edited to add: That being said, there is a lot of variation in the corn syrup versions as well. As lovebento mentioned, some versions also use brown sugar instead of primarily corn syrup and these will be somewhere inbetween the "corn syrup goo type" that I really object to and the brown sugar/egg versions I prefer. At some time you'll probably want to try both to see which you (and he) likes better!

That would be nice if rooftop1000's idea of citrus zest would work. Maybe wine could be used instead of vinegar in some applications? Freshly grated horseradish adds brightness. I've recently been making stuffed eggs used horseradish instead of lemon juice and it tastes very good. This would of course also work for egg salad. Grated horseradish is also nice with ham and pork. Capers? Anchovies? Olives? And as suggested above, strong, dry cheeses add a lot of flavor. (not sure about the nitrate content of any of these). Sardines have an intense flavor as well; you might get some ideas off of the recent sardine thread. Since tomatoes are out, I was thinking of fruit salsas as a low fat way to add a punch to some entrees. They might usually have citrus (and chiles) but there may still be options that would be tasty using fresh herbs and raw onions. Various herb pestos (besides the classic basil version) are a good source of flavor. Best wishes for your daughter's health.

This sounds really interesting. I've seen a few German desserts that use rye bread crumbs and using the contrasting somewhat savory flavor of the rye bread crumbs has always intrigued me. The recipes I've seen have been for a Black Forest Cherry Cake and for some other type of baked pudding that uses the try crumbs. Thank you for sharing this! Do you make sure to use rye breads without caraway seeds for this dessert? I thought of the Scottish cranachan also when I saw it and noticed that you mentioned this as well in your blog entry. *** Your boyfriend's creme caramel looks lovely as well!

If you want to make the favor yourself, I like the cookie idea. One could go simply with some classic almond or hazelnut biscotti or look around for other Italian cookies. One Italian cookie I've been wanting to try is made of almond paste dough which is wrapped around an amarena cherry. Besides torrone, another candy idea would be hazelnut chocolates from Ferrero Rocher and/or Jordon almonds.

Cooked broccoli, chilled and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Shave parmigiano reggiano on top. I also like to add some crushed red pepper flakes.

Another set of wonderfully descriptive and evocative posts, thank you, BryanZ. It was interesting to see a few "new" New World flavors at Cinc Sentits, namely peanut butter/chocolate and maple syrup. Along with root beer many of my European friends do not appreciate peanut butter as much although maple syrup seems to be favored and I know I've seen maple syrup iincorporated into some French haute cusine dishes. edited to add: I want one of those Jamon serrano, pan con tomate sandwiches for lunch right now!

I subscribe to the Ladybug newsletter from a farm local to the Bay Area, Mariquita Farms in Watsonville, CA. Chardgirl, an eGullet member, is one of the owners. I was sad to see the announcement in their last newsletter that after selling directly at the SF Market for many years and well before it's move to the "new" Ferry Building they have had to make a business decision to no longer sell at the market. They are just not selling enough produce there. click The letter goes on to explain that they have evolved their business as well since the many tourists at the market can't/are not buying fresh food. They have shifted their sales to restaurants. (They also have a great CSA (community supported agriculture) program and they are also going to continue to open Mariquita Farm up to the public for u-picks and open houses.) They do mention that they think it is important to be flexible as farmers to a given market's changes within the scope that they can adapt. As examples, they cite their initial experiences in focusing on selling salad greens and tomatoes, then later, bunched greens and heirloom Italian vegetables. Do take time to read the many reader letters in the newsletter post of this announcement; there are many interesting comments and also wonderful stories. It sounds like Mariquita Farms has a strong future ahead of it but it is perhaps troubling for the SF Ferry Building Market to see this happen. Other stands at the market must be facing the same pressures. Also, if you have a local market that you value, especially a "fancy" one that also attracts out of town tourists, this may be a wake up call to support the produce farmers and other sellers of perishable food with your purchases. Good luck with your new ventures for Mariquita Farm, chardgirl, and thank you for being a great presence at the SF Market for many years.

This weekend I finally tried a Mexican coke made with the "old-fashioned" (i.e. pre-1980) sugar cane syrup instead of corn syrup. I thought it was great tasting and I usually only drink Diet Coke because I find regular (corn syrup) Coke too sweet and cloying. I haven't tasted corn syrup Coke except from a fountain in awhile so it would be interesting to do a real side by side taste test with bottled cokes. But--the taste and thick glass bottle really reminded me of the Coke I used to love as a kid in the 70's. All I needed was a straw to complete the vignette. It had a nice crisp, refreshing taste and was much less sweet. Reviving these thread may also be timely since Passover is just starting. (See earlier posts for discussion of the use of cane rather than corn syrup in Passover coke.) I wish there was some way to get cane syrup Coke more frequently and easily.

Much probably depends on what one grew up with but as someone who did not grow up with pecan pie I really prefer the non-corn syrup versions. I make a recipe with just brown sugar, butter, eggs (and Bourbon) in addition to the pecans. I like the dense brown sugar filling rather than a corn syrup goo. If you search for "pecan" in thread titles you'll find lots of good discussions on pecan pie on the forums. Here's one: The Pecan Pie Thread This thread in the Southern Culture forum is excellent as well: What makes a pecan pie Southern? From this thread I learned about the tradition from some part's of the deep South to use Steen’s Cane Syrup. I'd really like to try a pie with this--especially after I just tasted a Mexican Coke made with cane syrup instead of the corn syrup now used (since the early 80's) in US regular coke. I am not a fan of the cloying sweetness of corn syrup. By the way, welcome to posting on the eGullet forums, fawn!

I read the whole thread and I finally found something that I can agree with in not liking--grape soda (and grape juice and grepe jelly). That being said, I've had some nice non-alcoholic sparkling grape drinks from Navarro Vineyards so I think my objection is really just to the cheap, commerical incarnations of "grape flavor". I like grapes including Concord grepes. (I"m exlcluding the few less common dishes mentioned so far like iguana.) Tastes that I learned to like as an adult or after multiple exposures: black olives (had initially only been exposed to canned black olives and disliked that incarnation very much; still do) cilantro: It shocked my tastebuds at first but now I really love it. anise/licorice: Hated licorice candy as a kid and this is still not my favorite form, but I learned to enjoy the flavor very much in smaller/milder doses such as anise seeds, fennel, anisette used in cookies/desssert. uni: The texture and appearance startled me at first but as a lover of raw oysters it only took a second taste for me to become a big fan.

I thought of this thread when reading a post from BettyK today. She pointed out a recipe for an Austrian cake called Burgtheatertorte in a thread we've been having about cooking out of Rick Rodgers' Kaffehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest and Prague. See the link for a more detailed description of thie chocolate almond cake flavored with orange and cinnamon. Rodger's also has a recipe for the Austrian Punschtorte that Sweetside mentioned above. In addition to rum, the cake crumbs/cubes are flavored with lemon and orange juice. It's a distinctive flavor combination and the recipe yields a nice moist cake. Rodger's version is the more traditional baked version but version that Sweetside linked to from Sally's Place looks like it would be nice as an alternative as well. edited to add: Another classic Austrian cake that uses cakecrumbs (or breadcrumbs) rather than flour is the Rehrucken. It's an unfrosted chocolate-almond cake. Rodger's has a recipe for this as well in Kaffeehaus

Haven't tried a Burgtheatertorte, eating or baking, yet. Here is Rodger's description: You need 4 cups of crumbs so he suggests that most home bakers would likely need to expressly bake a chocolate sponge cake to generate the crumbs. He gives a recipe for this as well. The basic recipe description is to cream butter, add confectionary sugar and eggs and flavor with cinnamon. Stir in almonds that have been finely ground with cocoa powder, the chocolate cake crumbs and minced candied orange peel. Bake in a buttered springform pan. Split baked cake in half and layer with warm red currant glaze. Top cake with confectioner's sugar and make a crosshatch design in the sugar with a sharp knife. In the backstory of the cake, Rodgers describes how the torte was created by Demel (a famous Konditorei (patisserie) in Vienna that is still one of the best places to visit for pastry and tortes) in the late 1880's on the occasion of the rebuilding of the Burgtheater (Austria's Royal Theater on the Ringstrasse). Demel was a K&K ("Kaiserlich und Koeniglich" or royal) bakery and designed the torte to be served at intermission breaks at the theater. I wonder if it is still served then? I wouldn't put it past the Viennese to still have cake available at intermissions! Thanks for pointing this torte out, BettyK! It wasn't on my "radar" and in reading the recipe it sounds very good as well as simple to make. Interestingly, I've made an American Southwestern-inspired cake with grated chocolate, ground almonds, orange peel and cinnamon; it's a very nice flavor combination. I'm also curious as to anyone's experiences with it.

Hard boilied eggs split in half and covered with a sauce could be a small vegetarian entree. I know any dairy would be out at the meal but perhaps an herby-lemon-olive oil sauce; some variation on salsa verde would work or some type of horseradish sauce.

Aioli is the "mayo" on the patatas bravas ← Sounds great and more Spanish. I have made patatas bravas at home also. Next time I'll whip up some nice garlicky aioli to serve alongside.

I forgot to mention another dish I've made out of the book because I didn't have my digital camera yet. I tried the Indianerkrapfen or Chocolate-Covered "Indian" pastries from the chapter on "Slices and Other Individual Pastries". I want to try these out again because they did not rise as highly as I would have liked. Rodgers describes these as They are baked in a special pan which has round indentations in it so that you get the 'round orbs". (He suggest a Danish ebelskiver pan as a perfect substitute.) The top half is glazed with chocolate on the outside and with apricot glaze on the inside. The combination of dark chocolate glaze, apricot, pastry and whipped cream is very nice. I'll report back on these after I try them again. They are very pretty; there is photo on p. 128.