ludja

Bigne di Ricotta (Cream puffs filled with ricotta) These can be made as small cream puffs that are easy to pick up and eat out of hand. The sweetened ricotta filling can also be flavored with vanilla, anisette, candied orange peel and finely chopped chocolate. Depending on how far you have to travel it may be best to fill them at the pot luck but that could be quick work if the puffs are cut ahead of time and using a pastry bag to fill them. Dust with powdered sugar.

Other garnishes I've seen: sliced cabbage, salsa (if it's a clear broth posole), avocado, chopped tomato. In New Mexico it is common to find frozen fresh posole as well. I've not seen it in California but I can't recall if Russ Parsons said it was available in some places. I haven't experiemented with different styles of posole yet. I make a pork stock, add a red chile puree and sauteed onions and garlic to that and cook the posole in it. Extra spices can be black pepper, cloves, cayenne and ground cumin. I cut off bits of pork from the bones and hocks use to prepare the broth and add them back in. Sometimes I'll add in cubed pork shoulder as well if I want a heartier version of the dish. I'd like to try out some of the green chile versions...

For both greens cutting off the stems just below the leaf should be okay if they are younger leaves. It you have older leave with thick stems you may want to remove some of the thicker part of the stem that travels up into the leaf portion of the green. Collard greens need about twice as much time to cook compared to many other greens including mustard greens. If you add the greens into the boiling stock it should take ~ 15-20 min for the mustard greens and 30-40 min for the collard greens. I've not mixed collard with other greens b/c sometimes the collards take quite a bit longer until they are tender. I really like to splash some chile-infused cider vinegar on the greens, but that is best made about a week ahead of time.

"Lagrein Kretzer" is not a white wine. It's mostly a rosato or even rosso. The wine is made from the autochtone red grape Teroldego. ← Thanks for the info and for catching the typo on my original spelling of "Kretzer". I looked back at the book and read some of the text on Lagrein Kretzer rather than just his listing under "white". He mentions that when a wine there is made just from the juice of the red wine grape it is called "Kretzer" or "Rose" or "Weissherbst". So, I guess he was listing this Rose under a White grouping... Thanks for the clarifying input based on experience!

I like this series as well. Here are some of other books in the series: The Brooklyn Cookbook by Lyn Stallworth and Rod Kennedy Jr. Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A. by Himilce Novas and Rosemary Silva Real Beer and Good Eats: The Rebirth of America's Beer and Food Traditions by Bruce Aidells The Great American Meat Book by Merle Ellis Barbecued Ribs, Smoked Butts, and Other Great Feeds by Jeanne Voltz Hot Links And Country Flavors: Sausages in American Regional Cooking by Bruce Aidells Helen Brown's West Coast Cookbook by Helen Evans Brown Preserving Today by Jeanne Lesem Pleasures Of The Good Earth by Edward Giobbi Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood by Ken Hom Biscuits, Spoonbread & Sweet Potato Pie by Bill Neal Blue Corn And Chocolate by Elisabeth Rozin We Called It Macaroni: An American Heritage of Southern Italian Cooking by Nancy Verde Barr Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan

I've been intrigued by this pie ever since I've heard of it. For those that have made them, does this recipe look like a good one? sugar cream pie

Peter Gordon was born in 1981. Postdating "fusion" in the US that dates back a bit older than that. That being said, it is understandable that you should be proud of Peter Gordon and his success. I appreciate your gracious acceptance of the facts. We do love you kiwichef. Especially when you can take a couple of lumps and still come out smiling. ← Peter Gordon wasn't born in 1981. He would be about 40 now so he was born sometime in the 60's. No-one can claim Fusion as their own, however New Zealand and Australia are recognised as the contemporary leaders, due to their proximity to South East Asia. If you go down-under you will encounter a myriad of restaurants combining Asian and European flavours. I accept Wikipedia's opinion, but I'm not sure it's correct. After all Wikipedia is a subscriber based information source. I note their is no mention of the Carribean or MesoAmerica. Thanks Annecross. I enjoy a debate. ← Upon reflection, he must have been born earlier than 1981. It seems he likes to hide his age, but IMO he should be proud of what he has accomplished in his tender years. I was born in 1963, and am only 43, and my birth post dates fusion cuisine in the US. Are you honestly trying to say that Peter Gordon has had more influence on "fusion" cuisine throughout the world than Wolfgang Puck and his predeccessor? And, although he started young, there are certainly labor laws in NZ that would have prevented him from slaving in the kitchen before a certain age. There is an index to Tex-Mex under fusion. Tex-Mex includes MesoAmerican food in the cuisine. Very old MesoAmerican, when you consider the tamal and the tortillia. ← Yes of course fusion would include Tex-Mex, but I guess the question is what is "Fusion Cuisine" and I have always understood it to be a mix of South East Asian and European cuisines, and yes, I'm suggesting NZ and Australia and the leading protagonists. So, this being the case Tex-Mex would not be categorized as Fusion Cuisine, but it would be a fusion of cuisines. ← This may or may not be correct, but per your comments it seems that in Australia/New Zealand, 'Fusion cusine' specifically means a certain type of modern fusion of Asian and European cuisine. I think in the US that would be called 'Asian fusion" cuisine; just one of the new fusion cuisines that have become popular since the 1970's. I think this difference in terminology may have caused some o the misunderstanding above. For example, in the US there is also 'new' Latino fusion cuisine, Carribean fusion cuisine (primarily in Florida) and also 'new' Southwestern cuisine which is fusion of Mexican, Southwestern and Asian ingredients and often includes seafood not indigenous to the Southwest. And these are all distinct from Tex-Mex! Also, there as mentioned above there has been plenty of 'fusion' cuisine in the US since it's inception but I think it was not typically named as "fusion" pre-1970 or so. I think the fusion happened more slowly and less self-consciously before that date and it typically used "American' ingredients or what was easily grown or sourced back then in the US. Some examples would be Italian-American or German-American cuisine. In the first case, until the last few decades, Italian-American cooking in the US was known and thought of as just "Italian" by most people although it was primarily an American take on southern Italian cuisine. With German-American cooking the fusion happened so long ago that most of the dishes of German origin or inspiration are thought of as completely American.

Thank you very much for this link! This really does look like a great resource! I had a general question though in case you know it. One recipe (Helen's Broetchen) has an ingredient listed as just "Gluten". Any idea what this might be as a US (or German) product? (I don't bake bread alot so I"m not awere if there is something called just 'gluten' for sale in the US.) Looking at the photo, these rolls look like they might be similar what Marcel is looking for also. Thanks!

When I was looking around for information I came across some info that discussed that as recently as a few years ago someone in the Italian legislature proposed having a referendum so that people in the region could vote whether to stay with Italy, go back to Austria or else become a separate country! The referendum was apparently not held. Most things I've read have said that since Austria joined the EU this has lessened friction on this matter even more since people can cross the borders easily if they want to, etc. There is a blending of identities between EU, Italian and alpine Tiroler/Austrian. edited to add: I think Trentino (south of Alto Adige) has significantly more primary Italian speakers than Bolzano and surrounding areas in the Alto Adige/Sud Tirol.

Unless they're calling it something else, doesn't that list omit what is by far the best-known white grape (or indeed wine grape, period) in the AA, at least here in the United States? ← I don't know; which grape are you referring to? (The list above is from an alte adige/sud tirol chef cookbook that was written in 1970 so perhaps it is an idiosyncratic list or one that reflects varietals that were more prominently planted pre-1970? Just a guess.) Here is some more white wine info for AA: click

Cool, I hope it lives up to your memories if you try it at home!

Here's a recipe auf Deutsch from a German website: brotchen This recipe uses fresh yeast as do most of the German/Austrian recipes I've seen that use yeast. I'm not much of a bread baker but I do really like German/Austrian Semmel and Broetchen. I love the plain Kipfel (crescents) that one can get in Austria (and Germany?) as well, for breakfast. Please report back if you have success with any of these or other recipes!

From the Tango Italia website: Recipes given for: Alte Adige (Südtirol) Recipes: Minestra di orzo Canederli allo speck in brodo Gnocchi di "molche" Insalata di cavolo cappuccio con speck Apfelstrudel - Strudel di mele Kaiserschmarrn - Omelette spezzata Trentino Recipes: Strangolapreti Canederli The embedded link on cured meats of the region is tantalizing although it wouldl likely be difficult to find anything other than the wonderful Tiroler Speck or Lardo in the US: click

From the Tango Italia website: Recipes given for: Südtirol Recipes: Minestra di orzo Canederli allo speck in brodo Gnocchi di "molche" Insalata di cavolo cappuccio con speck Apfelstrudel - Strudel di mele Kaiserschmarrn - Omelette spezzata Trentino Recipes: Strangolapreti Canederli

Perhaps of not much practical help but I found this website on wines of the Alte Adige which may give some background: click I have a cookbook in German from the region by Andreas Hellrigl called, "Sudtiroler Kuche". Here is a list from the book of wine varietals from the region: Red: Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) Kalterer Kuechelberger Lagrein Dunkel St. Magdalener White: Eisacktaler Gewurtztraminer Lagrein Kreitzer Terlaner Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) Web searches may also be helped knowing that the German name for the Alte Adige region is "Sud Tirol". A majority of people in the region still speak German as their primary language. clickThe Italianization of the region began primarily during Mussolini's rule after the region was ceded from the Austro-Hungarian empire in the post WWI-settlements.

Here's a thread on a 2006 dessert cookbook from Kate Zuckerman at Chanterelle in NYC called: "The Sweet Life: Desserts at Chanterelle". click

Looks like it could be Thai food--someone in SF perhaps. Pim could be a possibility.

Sorry if I missed it, but which recipe did you try?

I forgot one of the most obvious food-related items of Advent--a chocolate-filled Advent calendar. While I now use a calendar w/out choclate in it, my sister and I loved finding the little door to open during each day during Advent to find a chocolate figure inside. Of course, we had ot alternate days

What lovely observations from Prague and Dresden, Rehovat. St. Nicholas Day is also celebrated in Austria. My mom has told us that when they were young they put out their shoes out on the windowsill that day to see if it would be filled with chocolates, nuta and oranges (from St. Nicholas) if they were good or if a wooden switch would be left behind by the Krampus or devil-like figure who leaves those for 'bad' children. There were people that would dress up as St. Nicholas and Krampus and also go through the neighborhoods. Some more on St. Nicholas Day here. Love the descriptoin of the smells of Christmas baking in your building as well and the parade of Stollen makers in Dresden! I haven't tried making my own Stollen yet but need to try soon. I would like to try a Dresden Stollen with marzipan inside it. I have to find Adam Balic's thread from last year re: his visit ot Austria during Advent and link it here. I think he had some photos of the "Schneeballen" or snowballs. As I recall, they are large fried pastries made with strips wound around so that looks like snow ball when it is powdered with sugar. Thanks for sharing some photos from your trip, rooftop1000! Hope you come back with more of your report and experiences in Munich during advent.

Have a nice time; it wold be wonderful to hear of the food you find there! I guess there might be lots of nice Gluhwein. What a special experience. While I've been to Austria many times, I've not been there in the Christmas seasons yet to eat all the special foods; never mind hearing the Vienna Boys Choir in person at St. Stephans!

My wishlist for Spanish cookbooks keeps on expanding... I took out Cookng from the Heart of Spain: Food of La Mancha by Janet Mendel from the library recently and it really looks interesting. click Some recipes which caught my eye so far: salpicon of beef and ham lemon salad with shrimp (used flesh of lemon) salad of pickled partridge or chicken green bean salad with grepes and anise Capuchin tortilla wiht asparagus and breadcrumbs eggplant timbale chewy walnut cookies orange-scented lard cookies pastry squares w/pumpkin cream filling fried cinnamon pumpkin slices Lots of intriguing recipes.

Can anyone comment on how easy it is to find sufganyiot in NYC this time of year? Are there an amazing variety of flavors available as well?

Thanks for the photos; those look and sound delcious! I bet your homemade ones tasted delcious too. I can't remember if I asked you this before, but do the basic sufganyiot sometimes have rum and lemon zest in the batter like Austrian Faschingkrapfen typically do?

The new digs look great, gfron1! Is it a bigger place than your previous spot? Can't wait to check it out when I get to southern New Mexico again.