ludja

J Fritz makes a nice Late Harvest Zinfandel (most years, I think). Also great with chocolate truffles, etc.

The chicken liver dish sounds (and looks!) delicious Lucy; thanks for sharing it with us. As you hint at, a type of poor "fois" dinner. Great idea to have the prunes with them. Also, I've only used celery root in cold salads like "celery root remoulade"; this sounds like an interesting way to cook it.

Just noticed in re-reading the sweet and sour prune accompaniment; that sounds delicious.

Not useful for Stone's dinner pairing, but sliced tongue at room temperature with a gribiche sauce is classic and very good... (When younger, my mom always told us we were having "ham" when she served tongue. I had quite a shock the first time I saw her peeling the tongue...)

Thank you very much for the chestnut-vanilla-rum preserves GG Mora; they sound fantastic--and very good for gift giving! Must also try andiesenji's recipe for marrons glace! I definately have this thread bookmarked. Thanks for starting this thread lperry... and welcome too by the way. Here's another chestnut recipe from Rick Rodger's Kaffehaus (egull-Amazon link; $$ for egull if you order thru the link). They are a type of chestnut truffle and are called "chestnut potatoes" in Austria; Czech Republic, Hungary, etc. Pretty easy to make... after you peel the chestnuts! 12 oz fresh chestnuts 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brandy 1 oz unsweetend chocolate; grated on large holes of grater pinch freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar Use boiling method ( ~ 10 min) to peel chestnuts. Chop into pieces; you should have ~ 1 3/4 cups. Bring sugar and brandy to a boil over med. heat in small saucepan; (watch out for flames!) then reduce to a simmer. Add chestnuts, cover and cook for ~ 10-15 min on med-low heat until nuts are tender. Add a little water if needed to prevent them from drying out. Puree until very smooth in food processor with chocolate, vanilla and nutmeg. When cool enough to handle, form into 1 inch balls or "potatoes". Roll in cocoa to cover. These need to 'ripen' for at least 3 days and for up to 1 week. Store at cool room temp, sealed airtight. These are basically pretty similar in flavor profile to a Mont Blanc; easier to make ahead though! I think these would be excellent with an after dinner coffee. As an aside to my earlier post re: Mont Blanc; in Austria it is called "Kastanienreis" or "chestnut rice)....

Thanks for the fascinating info kitwilliams! That's true that the yeast should have been a tip off to me that these are not cookie-like! Thank you much though for informing (at least me!) of something new. Sounds like the kind of food adventure I would love to check out when I get to England for the first time! --and maybe I'll try these at home also.

I found an interesting food website a while back called: "The Foody" specializing in foods and recipes of Great Britain. I thought they might have something like this. Here is a link to two oatcake recipes; not sweet staffordshire oatcakes derbyshire oatcakes The two recipes look similar... (Be sure to check out the whole section on historic recipes too if you feel like browsing).

There is a nice small family-run sushi place right near your hotel... open late also. Ryoko Restaurant and Bar 619 Taylor Street

Thank you, I, for one, would really love to see this.

dessert crepes... (don't take long to make or fill, can make ahead of time, stove top...) maybe not for 50 but for 20 or less... guess that depends though on if you can get there earlier in the day. Chez Panisse Desserts has lots of nice ideas for dessert crepes.

Funny you mention that; I was thinking on a similar wavelength: spatzle (They keep in the fridge for a few days; also freeze very well) Cool thing about egg barley though is that they don't need to be refrigerated or frozen...

Thanks for the info Carolyn and Melkor; I only knew about the "75% rule" for the wine varietal naming. So just to make sure I have one of the points straight, I'd like to clarify an example: Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from xyz vineyard From what I understand, 95% of the grapes come from xyz vineyard BUT, they can be a mixture of grapes, with a minimum of 75% cabernet sauvignon.

Would love to hear of an easier way to peel... if it exists... Not a really practical suggestion, but If you happen to be hosting a dinner party soon you could make Mont Blanc for dessert. Spectacular, delicous and it uses up a fair number of chestnuts. The pear chestnut preserves sound very good. I've seen people ask for recipes for making their own marron glacees (which would be a nice way to preserve more) but can't recall if I've seen good responses. Also, can't recall where I've seen this recipe, but I thought I've seen something somewhere for some type of preserved, pureed chestnut flavored with vanilla and rum... I hope you're tree is not too damaged and I'm interested to see what other ideas people come up with.

floating island (ile flottante) is really good also...

Thanks Sinclair! I did assiduously butter the sides of the pan! I'm eager to try this again now (I guess the scientist in me wants to repeat the expt). Thanks for the detailed feedback and other tips.

Here's a basic recipe for six eggs: 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 1 tsp mixed pickling spices 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 1 bay leaf 6 hard-cooked eggs; peeled Simmer the spices and vinegar together for ~ 15 min. Take off heat, let cool a little and add in garlic and bay leaf. Pack eggs into screw top canning jar, add vinegar mix, cover and cool to room temp. Refrigerate for 7-10 days; longer to develop a stronger flavor. In the States you can buy spice mixes called "pickling mix". The link gives an idea of what you could put into a homemade mix. pickling spice mix

Maybe true... but for wok-learners, all your comments; said in slightly different ways are helpful. I read Jaffrey's "Breath" review in the October Saveur as well. Along with this thread, it has really piqued my interest to check it out. Thanks all-- and welcome Durian.

A big cheescake; depending on the recipe this could use 10-12 eggs in one fell swoop... How about pickled eggs? These would last a lot longer and would be good over salads or noodles... crepes can be made and then frozen for storage... also; I'd make some sponge cake to store in the freezer for some easy desserts later.

In Austrain farm cooking they make a jellied meat dish from parts of the pig--ears, snout, trotters (feet)-- called "sulz". Vinegar, s+p and onions added in too. The gelling action results from stuff cooked out of the bones. I think it is called "souse" in Britain; probably variations in other rural places too. More refined versions become head cheese... My dad always eats this with gusto. I wouldn't try it as a kid but would do it now!

Lots of nice suggestions waves. I love Negroni's also, but think of them as a cocktail rather than an aperatif. For something lighter I go for an Americano... basically a Negroni minus the gin. Similar to waves drink above, but I haven't used the soda...

Can you imagine a workplace where one would be forbidden to bring in and eat a vegetarian lunch?

I had an idea re: the pizza's but don't know if it is too fussy for a big crowd. Basically, you make a plain cheese pizza (a mix of mozzarella and some other stronger meltable cheese like fontina). Before putting on the cheese; brush with garlic-olive oil. After it is cooked, immediately scatter an herb and olive salad in vinagrette over the top. Shave some pecorinno or parmasean over it an you're set. This is also inspired from Chez Panisse and it is really excellent. Everyone I've made it for has raved about it. Herb Salad mix: (for two 10 inch pizzas) 2-3 cups Italian parsely 1 cup fresh basil 3 Tbs snipped fresh chives 2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint 1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives toss with vinagrette made of: 5 Tbs olive oil, 3-4 Tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs garlic-olive oil. In general for pizza, I like two of Chez Panisse's "tricks" that they use: 1. make a garlic olive oil by crushing garlic and letting it macerate in olive oil for 30 min. Use this to brush on dough before adding other ingredients; can also drizzle a little over the top of the pizza when it comes out of the oven. 2. Shave pecorino or parmigianno directly onto the pizza when it comes out of the oven. This pizza could be a salad course!

The wine should really be wonderful; Ridge Vineyards is known as one of the top sources for California Zinfandel. (Their main tasting room is ~ 15 min from our house; so we're lucky to sample them frequently and decide what to purchase!). I love the dinner you planned; thanks for the photos and descriptions.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions folks. It is a slightly embarassing story, but here goes. As a combination of advice on the thread and my own inclination to try it; I decided to go ahead with the cake recipe they gave. As mentioned above, I had cake flour at home so I used that. I've made lots of cakes with separated eggs--but for me-- this one just wouldn't raise (or stay raised) I'm not sure which scenario occured. (I didn't want to peek in the oven during the first 10 min). In fact the cake was only about 1 inch high. (From photos, etc, I was expected about a 3 inch cake). I tasted a little of the cake and it didn't taste bad-- so since I didn't have much time, I dug out another 4 eggs and tried again. The second time I added a little creme of tartar to the whites and was even more careful in folding them in. And the result...another 1 inch high cake! It may be that Sinclair's advice is the ticket. I don't have a standing electric mixer so I used a balloon whisk to add the flour. Maybe I overbeat the yolks? Simplistically I thought it a good idea to incorporate air into the yolks. Is that the yolks would be overbeaten or that the gluten too developed? Any other ideas? Luckily as mentioned, the cakes did still taste good--surprisingly perhaps, not too heavy. The rasberry bavarian filling came out very nice. And the plated dessert looked spectacular-- a wedge of cake with a 2 inch band of raspberry creme in the middle surround by a pool of dark raspberry syrup. (The raspberry filling and syrup also have pear liqueur included). I made this for a friend's birthday party and it was a very beautiful cake--big too; could serve up to 12 people easily. Swisskaese: Thank you so much for you favorite charlotte cake recipes. They sound nice and may be the ticket for me... considering I struck out 2 for 2 on the original recipe! This recipe is included in Saveur's online archive: Charlotte a la Framboise so you can see what it looks like and/or take a stab at it yourself if interested. I think I will definately make this again; I'll just have to learn how to make the cake better or use another recipe.

Thank you very much Caroline! It sounds wonderful; and as esperanza mentioned, doubly so for having been tested by you! The combination of orange and anise sounds great. It does seem to be richer. Per my estimates, Zarela's recipe also has about 1 lb of flour (4 cups)--so we can compare pretty straightforwardly. 3 eggs and 7 yolks vs 3 and 3, respectively. I think the lard would add a really nice taste along with the sweetness as well--(I love pie crusts with lard. austrian lented donuts and cannolis fried in lard ). Can't wait to try this! Oh-- and here's the link to the general "fresh anise in mexico" thread for reference: mexican anise thread