ludja

Hey, *you're* the first one on the thread to report on a recipe out of the officially-named "Fancy Cakes" section! Although the Esterhazy Pastries from anisette are also definately of the fancy genre while not technically a torte! The items I've posted so far are in general, "easier" although the Kastanienschnitten (chestnut slices) might also be classified as on the fancy side.

Thank you for sharing your detailed comments on the Orangentorte (Orange Torte with Orange Cream Frosting), azurite! I've been eyeballing that recipe for Easter or another spring menu perhaps and your description of the pale orange frosting makes it sound like it would look wonderful. I also like the flavor combination of ground almonds (and/or hazelnuts) with orange and the filling/frosting combination sounds very nice. Namely, orange curd for the filling and whipped cream/orange curd frosting for the outside of the cake. I think these recipes can be a little intimidating, in general, just because some of techniques/ingredients can be a little different from traditional American cakes or even French cakes. and in some cases like the dumplings it is a less known dish as well. In this recipe, for example, finely ground bread crumbs are used instead of flour. The base techniques though of grating nuts so that they aren't oily, beating egg whties or yolks and folding methods are basic baking skills so once one has those down it is not that bad. And again, Rodgers gives more detailed descriptions than some other Austrian/Hungarian cookbooks that I have. What a nice memory! I didn't grow up with a pastry shop like that in my neighborhood but my Mom (from Austria) loves to bake some of these cakes and desserts so I had exposure to them. When I was still at home we also would stay with my grandparents in Austria (Graz) some summers and there we *would* have nice pastry and Kaffehaus's around the corner for an afternoon "Jause" or sweet snack. There isn't really a patisserie for Central European desserts that I know of in the Bay Area either so I need to make them if I want them!

When I think of braising and lamb, lamb shoulder usually comes to mind. It has more fat and connective tissue and so is a good candiate for braising. Here's one simple recipe from Hestor Blumenthal: Braised Shoulder of Lamb It's flavored with onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme and white wine. I don't know if this particular recipe would work for Passover or not.

Here is a nice one I just ran across in reading mizducky's recent eGullet foodblog: The Linkery The Linkery is a restaurant in San Diego that specializes in homemade sausages and wurst. They have a website for the restaurant and from there you can click on a link that takes you to their blog. I think their blog is pretty great. It covers a bunch of local and regional food issues in addition to updates on new things happening at their restaurant. edited to add: The photos that you linked are very nice!

Typically in blog posts if you go to the end of the post there mgiht be something called a "permalink" that you can click on for specific post URL. In Austin's blog you can get the specific URL by clicking on the hypertexted date given at the bottom of the post. ← In the upper right-hand corner of every post there's a Post #. Left-click on it, and a box will open with a cut-and-paste-able link direct to the post. You have to allow scripting in your browser for this to work. ← HKDave's tip if for how to link to specific eGullet posts within a thread; also a good thing! My tip was how to link to specific posts on a webblog out on the general net.

Odd. Yup, aside from their (excellent) jams, D'Arbo products are not carried very widely here. I only know of two retailers (John Walker and Co. and Rainbow Grocery) in San Francisco that carry their syrups, and both of them were sold out of the Elderflower the last time I checked. I was also recently talking to a bartender who was saying they hesitated to put a drink with Elderflower on their menu because they were having a hard time keeping the syrup available as an ingredient. Maybe it's a distribution thing. ← I've seen and purchased the d'Arbo syrups in a bunch of different places, "down on the Peninsula". Draeger's and Andronico's have the syrups and I thought Whole Foods did too... It's not as convenient, but you can order it online as well.

Do you use a bunny mold that is usually used for cakes or is this a special pudding mold? This sounds really lovely. If there is any chance that you can snap and post a photo it would be wonderful to see! Do you mind me asking where home is that you can grow you own wonderful dairy and lambs? I do love ham, but all this talk of grilled and rolled leg of lamb is swaying me. My mom will have both but we'er only four this year so I think I'll pick one or the other. The leftovers from both are great! Welcome to eGullet, BertaBurtonLake!

Doh! I remember your experience and the thread, just not the name... For those that missed it, here's the link (Thanks for the cookie recipe!

Thanks Chufi! It was a nice birthday celebration, even more fun and with more courses because we split the cooking among the four of us! Looking through others comments ahead of time on "The Cooking of Southwest France" thread also really helped. First balconey dinner... yeah! *** That Batalli ricotta gnocchi with sausage sauce looks and sounds amazing, ms foodie! All the posole talk, including now the green posole, is making my mouth water as well.

Thanks for the additional info on the mushroom and foie gras galette, Bryan and for the recipe, Robert40! Interesting about the mayo with the patatas bravas. I've had it in a few US tapas places but never with the mayonnaise. Hmmm, but I like fries with mayonnaise and sambal....

Do you remember the name of the brand other than D'Arbo? Thanks in advance! Thanks to others for also pointing out the new St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur.

This sounds and looks very interesting--the main construction and the garnishes. Can you remember any more details of the dish? Was the foie gras and mushrooms at room temperature? It almost looks like the mushrooms are simply thinly sliced and not cooked in anyway. Was there any other spicing or saucing with the foie or mushrooms? Thanks for anything else you can add!

I agree with this as well. One thing that just crossed my mind after reading the thread over the last week is that I wonder if any tiies he has left with Austria have had an impact on his decision. I'm sure the economic part must have been a major driver but this may have played a part as well. I recently read somewhere that Austria produces/consumes the largest percentage of organic food in Europe. The linked article below mentions that 13% of the cultivated land is now organic and that about 10% of farms (19,000 out of 217,000 farms) are organic. On another note it is interesting that a country of 7-8 million people the size of North Carolina has 217,000 farms! As another aside, I think that Austria produces anywhere from 80-90% of the food they eat. The article also mentions that Carinthia (Puck's home province) as an early proponent for organic farming and that neighboring Styria has been the leader in conversion to organic farms in the last 10-15 years. In this time period the Austrian government gave subsidies/tax breaks to farmers who converted to organic methods. Also... Here is the Austria page on a website for organic food information in Europe: click

Sorry if I missed the earlier reference, but where did you find the recipe? Is Ital.cook a webite or magazine? The cookie recipe sounds very interesting. Do you know if it is a traditional or else a more "nouveau" Le Marche recipe? Thank you! *** Nice photos of the apple fritters, Foodman! I've made the recipe from Marcella Hazan several times. In that recipe the apple slices are macerated with sugar, lemon zest and rum. The batter is simply flour and water. Thanks for the tip regarding the drizzle of honey!

Forgot to mention that my Mum has made a variation on these apricot dumplings (with Italian prune plums) ever since I was an infant. Every fall she cranks out about 500 of these babies and we freeze them to enjoy them all year long. We always serve them with a dollop (or two, or 3!) of sour cream and extra sugar. Once the dumplings are boiled, the plums inside burst and release wonderful plum juices that flavor and color the sour cream. We simply call them "knedle". Comfort food at its finest! ← My grandmother (and now us) make the dumplings with Italian plums as well. There is something about these dumplings that seem to evoke really strong taste memories for those that grew up with them! I've always felt strongly about them (first thing I always asked my Oma to make on visits) and I've heard the same thing many times from others as well. What a great tip regarding freezing them! Do you freeze them before or after boiling them? And then how do continue once you defrost them? I never thought of doing this but it would be a wonderful as the apricots and plums are so seasonal. Thanks also for sharing your tradition of eating the Knedel with sour cream; that sounds delicious! *** Thanks also for the additional details on the Esterhazyschnitten regarding the yield and the fondant. Your success and the extra information gives me a lot more confidence to try the recipe sooner rather than later!

Wow, this is pretty interesting. I haven't cooked/used tapioca at all. Does it hydrate by just soaking in RT liquid? Did you puree or crush the softened tapioca before adding it to hte crabcakes? If not, wouldn't the texture of the tapioca be detectable?

Thai Chile Primer (Typically in blog posts if you go to the end of the post there mgiht be something called a "permalink" that you can click on for specific post URL. In Austin's blog you can get the specific URL by clicking on the hypertexted date given at the bottom of the post. Thanks for all the tips, insights and pictorial on making the Thai chile paste, Gabriel. It's really helpful!

Yup, I use this to brush on pie crusts as well before baking to get that nice shiny crust.

Another option might be: Herschel's Deli: New RTM Stall

This method has worked well for me using pineapple slices. I don't have a silplat and I'm trying to recall what type of pan I used or if I treated it somehow. I turned the slices over a few times during the process to minimize sticking and speed the drying. Towards the end I sprinkled on a little sugar and some crushed pink peppercorns. They were a delicious garnish for a pineapple-anise granita. I also dried some strawberry slices in the same manner.

thin slices of pumpernickel spread with sweet butter, covered with a layer of thinly sliced radishes and sprinkle with sea salt or finely dice radishes, mix with sweet butter, season with salt and a little lemon juice and minced chives and spread on crackers or small biscuits. Any other spring pasta dish ideas out there? I'm thinking of making a fresh pasta first course for Easter and would like to hear other's ideas. I like scahmhi's idea of fava beans, peas, tomato and pancetta...

Thanks for the update on Thirsty Bear, Carolyn! As I think about it, it may not be an ultra-budget place for a meal but one could have a few tapas and a nice beer for a pretty good price. Clement St. is a great place to look for good "cheap eats" and I can also recommend Burma Superstar in particular. The smoked tea salad is very interesting. I found the thread listing good taco joints up and down the CA coast. I've been to a few places suggested in the article (but not the ones in SF) and the ones I've tried are very good. So... I think the SF suggestions are likely to be great as well! thread on CA taco places These are all in the Mission District: LA TAQUERIA 2889 Mission Street, San Francisco; (415) 285-7117. TAQUERIA SAN JOSé 2830 Mission Street, San Francisco; (415) 282-0203. EL TONAYENSE TACO TRUCK Harrison Street & 22nd Street, San Francisco. LA PALMA MEXICATESSEN 2884 24th Street, San Francisco; (415) 647-1500. I know there are plenty of other SF and Northern California folks out there, hopefully they'll add more suggestions!

I am loving this so far, Bryan! (I adore pigeon and eat it as often as I can, btw!) ← I had pigeon for the first time in France as well (in Brittany) and it was one of my best food "discoveries" there. I've always been a fan of quail and pigeon also has that lovely gamey, rich taste to it. The quality of the photos are great, BryanZ! I'm so glad you're sharing your extravaganza with us. I hope that Megan does share her London experiences as well either here or elsewhere!

I'm hosting Easter this year again and so my thoughts are turning to planning the menu. I haven't decided between ham or lamb yet... Please share your ideas and menus! If you're leaning towards an Italian Easter menu here's a thread on Easter and Passover Traditions in Italy that Pontormo started. For baked goods we already have a few good threads started by Filipe and jackal10 on traditional Easter baking: Easter Pastries Around the World and Easter Baking Traditions

The posole looks perfect, rockdoggydog! What type of red chile and posole did you use? Any other secret ingredients? You should also post this on the posole thread if you haven't already. One of my favorite dishes and one that I only had for the first time about 6 or 7 years ago.