ludja

In Salzburg a don't miss place is the Augustiner Brau---beers brewed by the monks and a large beergarden and indoor beerhall. Great Austrian country snack/lunch food--the type you get at beer or wine gardens--is available from stalls just off the beer hall. Here's a link with a some more description: Augustiner Brau I know there are a bunch of nice fine dining places in Salzburg as well--but we were usually just there for day trips and did not try them out. One restaurant that my grandparents said was very good and that looked very appealing is: Stiftskeller St. Peter (Peterskeller). It has dining in a beautiful old courtyard and has traditional dishes. Here is a link Peterskeller (I looked at the menu and peeked inside to the courtyard).

Don't know if the thread title will keep "pie" afficionados away, but I think it would be great to include seasonal fruit pies in the mix too. (and grunts, slumps, rolls, crumbles, cobblers....) When I lived in colder climes back East and wanted fruit desserts at this time of year I often went to citrus--still good and abundant, or pineapple. I've always wanted to make a classic french tart with sliced oranges under glaze. Also--how are mangoes back East now? Here they are pretty decent. Although strawberries are still on the horizon for some folks, I'd love to hear if any one has favorite strawberry tart/pie ideas. Not sure if any of them can beat strawberry shortcake though... edited to add: Actually nightscotman's strawberry tarts sound wonderful to me--spongecake, pistachio cream, berries and pistachios on top. Maybe I will try them in a home form--single large tart--with strawberries flat!

Depending where you are, it is kind of between seasons for peak fruit right now isn't it? We're a little ahead in CA so it is now pretty much full-fledged strawberry season and rhubarb is getting more difficult to find. A few weeks ago I made a french rhubarb custard tart (Tarte a la Rhubarbe) that was great. I'll give a general description such that perhaps one could duplicate or adapt a recipe. It had a pate sucree dough that also had some ground almonds in it. The dough is fit into a springform pan, with dough edge ~ 2 inches high and blindbaked. The rhubarb is stewed; drained of excess liquid and then layered into the blind-baked crust. Pour over it a very simple custard made by whisking together 3 eggs, 5 Tbs sugar, 1 1/4 cup creme fraiche, 1 tsp vanilla and 5 Tbs cooled and melted butter. Then bake at 375 deg for ~ 30 min. (Can also use cream rather than creme fraiche). To decorate I put a cicle over the tart such that ~ a 2 inch perimeter of cake showed; then dusted with confectioner's sugar to get a sugar rim. I probably made this because I like the creme fraiche raspberry tart a lot... Luckily??? I don't have a digital camera so I don't have to showcase my humble home creations with nightscotsmans!! Those look incredible; I had been trying to picture the raspberry cones. (This may get me down to Bellagio's as I'm still a Las Vegas virgin). That said, I love the look of rustic tarts also. It will be cool to see both home and professional versions...

That looks very similar to what in Austria is called a 'yeast strudel'. The common fillings in Austria are walnut or poppyseed and they are usually just called, "walnut strudel" or "poppyseed strudel". It has a sweet yeast-based dough that is, as you say, 'challah-like'. It's not too sweet and we usually eat it for breakfast or a snack with coffee, etc. They look very similar to the photo that Mistinguett posted except the ones I've seen (and my Mom makes) are made into a free-form roll rather than baked in a loaf pan. Looking through some of my Austrian/Hungarian pastry books I see just a hint of a mention that one may combine the poppyseed or walnut filling with chocolate so that may be close to what you had. I've never tried to make it myself yet so I can't personally recommend a recipe. I know that my mom makes one out of O. and A. Hess's Viennese Cooking. (order through this egullet-amazon link and it's $$ in the bank for the gullet). This book is a classic translated into english from "Wiener Kuche" in 1952 but the directions are very sparse. It helps to be a little experienced in baking or to have an idea of the finished product. A perhaps more accessible recipe is in Rick Rodger's Kaffeehaus Here he calls it "Hungarian Walnut Roulades". For fillings I would just use the suggested poppyseed or walnut fillings and add some grated chocolate to it. Here are a few recipes from the web to give you and idea but again I can't guarantee anything... June Meyer's Walnut or Poppyseed Strudel walnut or poppyseed milk bread This site has a recipe from Gourmet Magazine so it may be more accessible/have better instructions. Hope this is helpful. This may inspire me to try a walnut version on my own to see that I can do it! Can't promise I'll do this soon, but I'll post back here if I do. Please also post back here if you try any of these; I'm kind of intrigued by the chocolate versions...

peaches, halved; fill centers with nut-sugar-butter or amaretti-sugar-butter mix and roast them poaches pears with chocolate sauce over (belle helene?) skinned poached peaches with raspberry sauce over lime or lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka over it iced coffee parfait using vanilla ice cream with or without whipped cream to add to "fool' ideas by Verjuice--- cooked rhubarb also works well or cooked and pureed apricots stewed rhubarb in simple syrup with orange zest; chill and pour cream over when serving homemade applesauce with cream over sliced mangoes sprinkled with lime juice and cayenne pepper strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar rootbeer or coke float

I'm interested to see if anyone comes up with bargain oyster prices in SF. My two immediate idea were drive up to Hog Island (as Winesonoma suggested)--beautful drive up Hwy 1 if you have the time... or else book a ticket to New Orleans... Two good (but not cheap) places for oysters are Zuni Cafe and Absinthe. (and Swan Oyster Depot as you mentioned).

Ronni Lundy has some suggestions for Blenheim gingerale in her book: Butterbeans to Blackberries. Nice book overall actually... (Amazon-egullet link): Butter Beans to Blackberries Some are: drink wtih fresh boiled peanuts carrots glaze in orange marmalade and Blenheim's Cook peeled sweet potatoes in a mix of Blenheim's and butter until glazed Marinate a pork roast She also has a recipe for a "congealed salad" or gelatin dish that I just may try: it has yogurt, ginger ale, gelatin, grapefruits, honey and lime juice... Her favorite way though is... mixed with Bourbon over ice; perhaps with a mint garnish.

My favorite brewery has already been mentioned: SF Microbrewery... Sorry to hear if Thirsty Bear has declined somewhat; haven't been there in ~ year or so. Can say that I'm not impressed with Gordon Biersch. A few weeks ago I took out of town visitors there--mainly for the nice view of the Bay Bridge but I truly was disappointed with the beer. Had an off taste. While I always liked SF Brewing Co. (for instance) better, I did not recall the beer being that bad at G.B. Another option not mentioned yet is the Beach Chalet out on Ocean Beach. Beach Chalet It is a touristy place and I would definately pass on the food as a reason to go there (to me, expensive and not very good)---but on a beautiful day it has spectacular views of Ocean Beach and the Pacific and is a nice place to have a beer. It's also in a historical building with Depression Era murals in the bottom level. Nice location to precede or follow with a walk in Golden Gate Park or a walk on the beach. It can be a madhouse on the weekends--better if you can go during the week and at a slightly off time--mid afternoon. It's a nice place to view the sunset--but again very crowded on the weekend. The beers seemd good to me but I don't have strong memories of them.

Not in Boulder/Denver area, but a great mexican restaurant that I have been to several times in Durango is: Tequila's Mexican Restaurant 948 Main Ave., Durango, CO 259-7655 "Tequila's serves authentic Mexican food. Thanks to the support of visitors and locals, their authentic food and made-from-scratch margaritas are as popular as ever. Try one - made with Hornitas triple sec, orange Curacao and fresh-squeezed lime juice." They have branches in Pagosa Springs and are apparently opening another soon in Steamboat Springs.... As mentioned in the quote; they make authentic margaritas with fresh lime juice. Also great moles and my perennial favorite there--chile verde. They have a large menu that includes many interesting regional mexican dishes including those with seafood. Always difficult to decide what to order.

Sounds like a nice light drink... An idea for a name struck me because the drink is light and because it blends french/russian and italian. (french and russion ballet being intertwined): Limone Pavlova or Limone Bolshoi

If you go to Tours (and are drving), a stop in Chartres is wonderful. Seeing the Cathedral there was one my all time travelling highghts. Had a wonderul lunch there too... andouillette sausages

I've seen this idea before in a cookbook called "American Gourmet" by Jan and Michael Stern. (The book discusses and has recipes for American "gourmet" recipes from the 40's-70's. (Fun book). They have a recipe for Angostura ice cream and describe it as "clever and delicious". Can make homemade icecream subbing angostura bitters for most or all of the vanilla (1 Tbs per pint)--or can mix into good commerical ice cream. Maybe I'll have to try it... The pork stew sounds and looks delicious. Is it a traditional dish and/or have a name? (sorry if I missed this earlier).

Bingo..... That's my story. Me too... As a child, my link to my father's manhattan's was to surreptiously swipe the cherry juice out of the maraschino jar to mix my own cocktail (Shirley Temple) or to put on top of vanilla ice cream. I would be reprimanded then for letting the cherries dry out... until I figured I could add some water to it.... OK--here's another manhattan story. Advance warning, I'm not sure of the complete signifcance! Shortly after moving to the SF area, I went to my first 'fancy' SF dinner for a birthday--Wolfgang Puck's Postrio. We were at the bar to order a pre-dinner cocktail; it was pretty crowded. I ordered a manhattan. When I did, an older grand dame in front of me loudlly exclaimed, "I just HAVE to see who would order a Manhattan before dinner". I was temporarily taken aback by this but all was assuaged by the coming of our hostess. She carried our cocktails for us to our table as we made our grand entrance down the main staircase to the dining room. Felt like a queen and it was a great start to a special evening. Never did quite understand the dowager's comment though... Thanks for the link to the nice story. I'm also interested to hear more about the Punt e Mes variation... I've had incredible Negroni's made with that.

Glorious fruit tarts--fresh fruits on top of pastry cream, simply cooked fruits on a galette, fruits nestled in frangipane, fruit jam beneath eggs, sweet butter and cream, fresh fruits en gelee... the myriad variations are delicious and beautiful to the eye and spirit. I thought tt might be fun to 'follow' the fruits though the seasons and share our favorite experiences, ideas, recipes, etc. To start off, what are some of your favorite incarnations using the bounty of spring and early summer? Spring: rhubarb, strawberries, pineapples, mangoes, lemons, limes, ... Coming up: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, gooseberries, huckleberries, nectarines, peaches, plums... One of my all time favorites is a raspberry tart from Patricia Well's excellent book Bistro Cooking ($$ for egullet if you order through link). She credits this recipe to the Cafe du Jura in Lyons. The crust is a cookie-like sable crust (easy and delicious). The rest of the ingredients number only four: fresh raspberries, egg yolks, creme fraiche and sugar. In the finished tart the individual raspberries peak though the custard. The creme fraiche gives all a delightful tang but does not overpower the clear raspberry taste. As she mentions in the forward to the recipe; this is truly a sublime alternative to eating raspberries with cream and sugar. (Cooking note: I make the tart in the 10 1/2 inch tart pan she recommends, but I increase the amount of raspberries by 50% and the amount of custard by 25% to fill the pan with a single layer of raspberries).

Styria, Austria (southeast of country): pumpkin seed oil Provence, France: Lavender Honey Sweden: Lignonberries Scotland: Salmon New Mexico: Green Chile Cape Cod: Cranberries Hawaii: Macadamia Nuts Maryland: Blue Crab Maine: Lobster

Curious what people think would go well with a Reblochon? (Just had a nice example sans wine) (I've had the chevre/Sancerre combo and was surprised at how good it was--know that it is a "classic" but it wasn't an intuitive match to me beforehand). Also like Parmigiano Reggiano with cabernet sauvignon.

Envious dreams for me... I'm the poor schmo who brought up on the "discontinued thread" that I couldn't find toasted almonds bars out here in my little corner of northern california... boo hoo. Glad to know they're still around though as people had reassured me on that thread and as I can now see with my own eyes I just have to remember to peek in convenience store/gas station freezers as I travel around! (or try to make some of my own toasted almond ice cream...)

I've been perusing my Southern cookbooks looking for inspiration for nice vegetable recipes as the season turns. Ran across this recipe using fresh horseradish and thought of this recent thread. It's a gratin with sweet potatoes and fresh horseradish I found in John Martin Taylor's: The New Southern Cook ($ for egullet if you order through this link. Not a one-stop book on traditional Southern Cooking but there are quite a few interesting recipes based on Southern ingredients and I've enjoyed it as an addition to my more traditional southern cookbooks) Sweet Potatoes with Horseradish ~ 4 sm to med sweet potatoes (~ 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lbs); peeled and sliced ~ 1/4 slices 3 Tbs freshly grated horseradish 1 cup whipping cream Mix all ingredients and and turn into buttered baking dish or casserole (~ 9" by 13"), cover with foil and bake for ~ 30-45 min at 400 deg. I love gratins and also prefer *less sweet* sweet potato recipes... could be good...

If you end up having any free time during the day... For casual seafood: Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market and Patio Cafe on Highway One. Malibu Seafood Ahi Tuna Burger, Scallop Ceviche, Fried Oyster Sandwiches, Crab or Shrimp Salad, Fish Tacos... If nice weather, I always try to stop by here on trips to northern LA. Modest patio but nice views of the ocean; a great place for a casual lunch.

ratatouille and other vegetable melanges....

Sonoma's J. Fritz Late Harvest Zinfandel with Scharffenburger or any good dark chocolate. edited to add: Welcome to Egullet Winemiles!

Ok.... I have too much time on my hands today... I didn't come up with a recipe doing a quick google search ( "velvet spice cake") but did see that there should be a recipe in Rombauer's 1985 Joy of Cooking... Seems like a book that should be a the library. I was curious as to what to what makes a cake "velvet" -- is it just a descriptitve name or is there some technique or group of ingredients in common with, say for instance, "red velvet cake". edited for typo

I got Bill Neal's Southern Cooking on the advice of another thread and am almost done reading it. Thanks for the suggestion. Hope you enjoy the book and cooking from it. Making the Toasted Pecan Caramel Cake takes a little baking experience--grinding nuts so that they are fine and not oily, whipping egg whites and folding in properly and working with the caramel frosting---but the end result is very rewarding. It's nice to serve with whipped cream also to contrast with the sweetness a bit. The sweetness of the frosting is also counterbalanced by the astringency of the nuts---and small portions are de rigeur... Another cake that Bill Neal raves about in this book but that amazingly I have not yet tried is the Huguenot Torte from Charleston. This is another classic southern cake with ground pecans but with the addition of finely chopped apples in the cake. It is simply iced with sweetened whipped cream. Has anyone made this cake? comments?

Here's a link to a recipe with different ingredients than those mentiioned so far. Seems like the 'original' recipes would not have such 'rich' ingredients but maybe this would approach the end result you are looking for. The dough has egg yolks, baking powder and brown sugar in it! As a leavening agent, perhaps baking powder would yield the lighter, airier texture you are seeking... from author jane milton Looking forward to hear further of your experiments... The closest things to churros that I've made are New Mexican sopapillas but freshly made churros at home with good hot chocolate sound divine. Unfortunately I've only had stale, old churros so making them at home may be the quickest way to obtain a great churro experience...

Me too; I was just flying through Heathrow but I got a great deal on Bombay Sapphire and and even better one on a massive bottle of Cointreau at the airport. The latter kept me stocked in top shelf margaritas for a long time... Actually being in England you can get something more unique though per everyone's suggestions above.