ludja

As soon as I receive the book I will send the recipe to you... I have a copy at work but it is hard to read and I want to make sure I have everything right, it's kind of a complicated recipe... ← Thank you for considering doing this if you have a chance; I figured it would be a longer recipe. ludja

That's basically what it is. I was talking with a friend at lunch the other day and I asked if he had ever had one of Shorty's Black Forest Cakes and he related a story that I found funny. He told me he went to Shorty's shop to pick up a cake for his wife and Shorty was in the process of finishing his cake. He told Shorty that he bet he had probably sold a million of those cakes over the years. Shorty laughed and said that he probably had. He went on to tell him that he had gotten the recipe out of a Southern Living Magazine. Shorty said the recipe sounded good so he tried it an had one for sell in his shop. A Junior Leaguer came by and bought the cake, told all her friends and the rest was history. The Revel Cookbook is put out by the Junior League of Shreveport. ← If you ever type up this recipe for any reason...I'd love to receive a pm with it. All this description and discussion is making it more and more fascinating and delicious sounding. Chocolate, baked in meringue...

The dishes look absolutely beautiful so far!

Thank you; this sounds delicious. I just cooked up some mustard greens tonight (and used them in tacos with pinto beans and monterrey jack) but this sounds another application I need to try ASAP. Does anyone know if it is generally possible to transfer souflee recipes designed for single serving ramekins to a single souflee dish? I'll probably just try it but thought I'd ask in case anyone had experience with this. The Chez Panisse Vegetable Cookbook has a nice recipe for what is called a "pudding souffle". They are twice baked. the first time they are baked in ramekins. Then a little before service, they are removed from the ramekins and baked in a shallow dish with some cream. They puff up nicely again the second time but are less fluffy than once baked souffles. I've made the corn version but she also describes some others like green garlic or mushroom.

As dinwiddie mentioned, a Pinot Noir would be great with the salmon and after following whites wines with the first two course. White or red can work with salmon but I think the earthy garnishes you have planned with the salmon will work well with a Pinot Noir. Vinagrettes and asparagus are traditionally more difficult to pair wine with as mentioned above. I remember some guidelines for pairing wines from both (in an SF Chronicle article) they have served me in good stead. Basically, to go with the herbal/grassy flavors of asparagus a good idea would be to choose citrusy, non-oaked Sauvignon Blancs or Pinot Grigios. These might have a touch of herb or grassiness themselves. One S.Blanc option could be Honig's base S. Blanc (little oak) The best strategy for vinagrettes is to make the vinagrette lower in acidity (higher oil to vinegar ratio, acid element less acid) and to increase the acidity of the wine. Choices here would be crisp Sauvignon Blancs, but some other choices could be Viognier, Pinot Grigio/Gris and Gruner Veltliner. So my ideas are similar to dinwiddie except I'd probably go with a non-oaked S.Blanc with the asparagus, unless you have a nice unoaked Chardonnay as mentioned. Enjoy your dinner. It would be interesting to hear how your final menu and pairings turn out.

I don't know whether it would need refrigeration, but I've been meaning to attempt a Dobos torte for a while......... lots of caramel there! ← Thread on Dobos Torte Great caramel/dark chocolate dessert. (I think it could handle some time w/o refrigeration--depending of course, on time and temp. The frosting has a lot of butte in it so as long as the frosting wasn't getting to soft).

I don't mind it either if there is enough space. (Zuni's bar is very long). It's easier to interact if you're group is 3 or 4 people and it can fell more elegant to lean against the bar rather than perch on a barstool.

Unfortunately I'm not the one travelling this time, but a good friend is. So I have a direct and vested interest in gathering some good suggestions for treats to bring back. Food-related items, but not necessarily edibles, would also be nice to hear about. I guess linens would be a top choice. Are there any interesting cookbooks that strike a nice balance between traditional and newer trends in Irish cooking? (I may start another thread on this too). Hope to hear from our Irish egulleteers and also from the many people I know travel there each year. Thank you! (As an aside, Saveur Magazine (US) has a great March 2006 issue almost completely devoted to Irish cuisine as well as some suggestions for culinary-related tourisn.)

Thank you very much, cocktailgeek. A great, knowledgable overview. I'm looking forward to trying both Tres Agaves and Enrico's. Not sure why I haven't made it to the latter in all these years. Thanks for mentioning the elderflower drink at Cortez as well. (I'll have to check at Cesar's (Berkeley) next time to see if they use elderflower in any of their cocktails, I have had their non-alcoholic elderflower drink). Thanks for pointing out that Zuni doesn't have barstools! I've only been to Frisson once, but we managed (unwittingly, perhaps) to avoid any sweetish cocktails.

C'est possible regarding the rum, and thanks for pointing out the other key difference between the recipes. However, this could be a potential difference that one may want to keep. The "Thankful Butterscotch Cake" is just that, butterscotch; and Neal's cake is caramel. Personally, I haven't fiddled enough with different caramel icings to know how adding liquid or alcohol would affect the caramel icing. I followed his instructions to the letter to get the proper spreading consistency and to avoid any crystallization or graniness in the icing. (I'm not saying it can not be done though. ) edited to add: One *would* need a pretty big crowd (or a very hungary Ling) to put a dent in that Thankful Butterscotch Cake. That's partly why I was wondering if anyone else had had success with it before I try it myself.

Interesting suggestion; I need to try this sometime.

Walnuts are closer in oil content to pine nuts and the flavor might be less assertive as well. Just an idea...

This is so sad and scary. I suppose the primary reason for the ban by other countries is to try and slow the spread of the virus into the importing country's poultry industry. Hopefully it will be possible to contain or controll the spread of virus within the commercial industry with some of the precautions being taken. The bits and pieces of initial news coming out of Nigeria sound pretty gloomy though. I don't know if they have the infrastructure to deal with this if it is even possible. I also read of hideous stories re: people abandoning or putting down their pet cats in Germany after the incident of the infected cat there. This article details warning leaflets that are being given to UK travelers regarding avian flu:

Because these are so similar to Vanillakipfel I suspect that they would last a long time (at least 3 weeks). We always make Vanillakipfel at least a week before eating them to mellow the flavor and develop the texture.

Jean Anderson has a nice recipe in "The New DoubleDay Cookbook" that I made once a long time ago and that I remember enjoying. Thanks for reminding me of them. Her version uses unsalted butter, powdered sugar, egg yolk, flour, brandy, (finely) chopped almonds or walnuts. Except for the brandy, the dough is very similar to Vanilla Kipfel (an Austrian Christmas cookie classic flavored with vanilla flavoring in the dough and also luxuriously powdered with vanilla sugar). She suggests a variant for the Kourabiedes that I tried and that was very good. You stud each cookie with a whole clove before baking. I found a link to a recipe that is very similar to one that I've used from Jean Anderson noted above. Differences are that Anderson’s recipe has 2 ¼ cups sifted flour, no salt and no baking powder. link Here is quote from the recipe introduction (in the linked recipe) regarding the clove. edited to add: Just remember to remind guests, if needed, to remove the clove. It's not for eating in this state...

I did find a copy of the recipe online! Here is a link. This cookbook as well as his cookbook, "Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie" are both very good cookbooks. The former is a general Southern cookbook rather than one just focusing on baking. They are two of my very favorite cookbooks and I have cooked and baked a lot from both with no disappointments. Oh, Ling! I just ran across that recipe recently and was actually thinking about starting a whole thread on it to find out if anyone had made it and because it looks so spectacular! (The icing looks similar to the cake I mention above athough it uses a blend of brown and white sugar rather than all brown as Neal's recipe has). It's hard to pry me away from Neal's recipe though as I like the pecan cake layers and the icing comes out very well if you are careful to follow the instructions. Please let us know, Caroline923, what you end up trying and how it comes out.

Have you ever had or made a Southern Caramel layer cake? I've made Bill Neal's recipe from "Bill Neal's Southern Cooking" and I think it it very good. The smooth caramel icing can be a little tricky to make but as far as I recall it was glossy and not grainy at all. The nice thing about this particular caramel cake is that the cake layers (3) have ground pecans in them. The slight astringency of the roasted pecans is a good foil for the caramel frosting and filling. I think the cake would hold up relatively well with out refrigeration as long as it wasn't very hot out. (I'm not sure how the icing would hold up.) Whipped cream (lightly sweetened) is a nice touch with this dessert though if there is a way to swing that.

We walk from Orbit Room to Zuni all the time... not that far at all. ← Thanks, my memory was playing tricks on me regarding how many blocks apart they are.

We went to the Redwood Room 3 or 4 years ago. I don't know if it has changed management since then. It is an absolutely classically gorgeous space with redwood panelling and leather chairs, etc. We stopped here before dinner somewhere else and were dressed up a bit. I don't remember having to run a gauntlet but the prices are steep. (This is located a few block west of Union Sq on Geary). Speaking of tiki drinks, has anyone been to the Trader Vics on Van Ness near City Hall (old Stars location)? We enjoy relaxing at the Trader Vic's down here on the Peninsula in Palo Alto but I've not been to new SF location. If you go, try the "Suffering Bastard". (They use the rum version and garnish it with mint and cucumber.) Yum. Absinthe does have a nice selection of heritage or classic cocktails. They have had Aviations, Sazeracs and other classic cocktails there for at least 8 years or so. There is not a lounge area per se, but there is a pretty big bar. Zuni Cafe is a few blocks from Absinthe and also has a very nice looking bar--long copper bar with all glass windows behind the bar. If you go at an off-peak time there should also be a few small tables available. They have a good selection of booze and you can get a good cocktail. I've usually ordered pretty straigthtforward drinks there though, such as a Negroni or a Hendricks martini. I've experienced some uneven service at the bar there so I might chat up the bartender a bit to make sure I knew what I was getting and to avoid disappointment. Zuni and Absinthe are within walking distance of each other and The Orbit Room is a short drive from there.

Due to popular demand, (ok, two requests) I put this recipe into RecipeGullet. For the application we're discussing here, I can't remember exactly how thick this sauce is. One option to thicken it up, if necessary, may be to fold some unsweetened whipped cream into the mix. The sauce itself is stable for at least a few days. So far it hasn't lasted long enough for me to test the expiration date.

If you decide to eat some before you leave, two favorite dishes of mine are scrambled eggs with cracklings (for any meal) or cracklin cornbread. These are both classic uses and oh so good. Good luck with preparations for the move. I'm looking forward to your blog, including finding out more about the mystery teaser photos that Soba posted in Megan Blocker's foodblog...

This only partially answers your question, but in Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food, she writes that they were an Austro-Hungarian peasant carnival donut which became popularized at the court of Marie Antoinette. ← Thank you, anzu! Funny thing is that I was just at the library last night and took out Roden's very same book! The other point she makes is that this doughnut (which, as you say, apparently originated from the Lenten Faschingkrapfen in Austria) was "adopted in Israel to celebrate Hanukah because it is fried in oil."

Cold Cream Sauce This is adapted from Damon Lee Fowler's cookbooks on classical and new Southern cuisine. He describes the texture as being similar to clotted cream. It is a simple and wonderful sauce to serve with fresh fruit and/or a plain cake. I vary the amount of lemon rind and nutmeg depending on the application. 1 pt heavy cream (minimum 36% milkfat) 1/2 c sugar 1 lemon (finely grated zest of whole lemon and strained juice of half) nutmeg, freshly grated Makes 2 cups Dissolve sugar in the cream without heating the mixture. Add in the finely grated zest of 1/2-1 whole lemon and add in strained juice of half the lemon. Stir mixture until it begins to clot slightly and season it with some freshly grated nutmeg. Refrigerate until fully thickened; at least 3-4 hours. Serve cold. The freshly grated nutmeg is really a key component in my opinion. You can add more to have a stronger nutmeg flavor, but even if you don’t want an ostensibly “nutmeg-flavored sauce” adding some nutmeg in lesser amounts creates an ineffable, but delicious, final flavor. So, I would add the nutmeg sparingly and taste to achieve the flavor you want. Grating the nutmeg on a small, fine plane grater works just as well as using a dedicated nutmeg grater. I haven't experimented with decreasing the sugar, but that may be one avenue to explore. Another interesting variation may be to replace the lemon rind and juice with other citrus like tart oranges, tangerines, limes or Meyer lemons, but I haven’t tried this yet. I don’t know if all these citrus have the proper acidity to thicken the cream under these conditions. Keywords: Dessert, Vegetarian, Easy, Sauce, Topping/Frosting, American, British ( RG1644 )

Frisson has a lovely bar and lounge area and some interesting house cocktails as well. They stock Vya vermouth which has been discussed on these boards a bit. The interior is pretty interesting in terms of design; you can get a preview by looking at their website. We also had a great meal there about a month ago. Vesuvio's is fun and an institution; especially nice if you can get there off-peak regarding Friday and Saturday night. Even in that situation it can be fun to people watch. I like to sit upstairs. I would order pretty straightforwardly there though, as eje alluded to. Tosca is right across the street so you can look in both places. Frisson is within walking distance of these two as well if the weather is not too wild. And again, per eje's post, Orbit Room with Alberta in the house is a good bet for an interesting cocktail. There are a bunch of new wine bar places that I haven't checked out yet, but one place I like for their huge selection of Austrian and German wines by the glass is Bacar. (South of Market, between 3rd and 4th). Bacar is also a restaurant, but the lounge area is pretty big.

Ive used this first website to find many good regional Italian recipes. Here is the link to those from Friuli Venezia-Guilia along with a listing of the recipes below: Link 1st course Bean and pork stew "Jota" Cialzons or agnolotti carnici Lasagne with poppy seeds "Lasagne ai semi di papavero Prune gnocchi Scampi risotto "Risotto di scampi" Spinach soup "Paparot" 2nd course Crayfish cooked with herbs and white wine "Giambars" Goulash Triestino style "Gulash triestino" Hare in sauce "Lepre in salsa" Minced meat cooked in cabbage leaves "Rambasicci" Spiny spider crab Triestina style "Granseola alla triestina” Other Crunchy cheese fritter "Frico" Herb omelette "Frittata alle erbe" Peasant style polenta "Polenta alla contadina" Polenta with cheese and cream "Tosella alla panna" Potatoes cooked in the pan "Patate in tecia" Dessert Almond tart "Crostata di mandorle" Crostoli of the Friuli "Crostoli friulani" Nut and dried fruit baked roll "Gubana" Two recipes from Lidia: Link Montasio Cheese Crisp “Frico di Montasio” Gubana (dessert) Lots on nice information on Istrian cuisine here; including articles on local viticulture and how to make your own grappa! Navigation on this site is a little ungainly. There are also additional links on the sidebars,.including an article in English on the foods of Trieste.