ludja

Does anyone know if this is a type of Tyroler Speck product? i.e. cured and long smoked so that it can be eaten raw? If not, do they sell Speck for eating there? Regarding a previous question re: cold cuts to try, good ones to try at a German/Austrian butcher would be the liverwurst (they should have several kinds), cervelats andsalami, headcheese and their hams, including Westphalian. edited to add: I just noticed the link to their website. It looks like the Tiroler Speck may be the "Schinkenspeck" (or close to it). I'd recommend this for people to try if you haven't. Should have a very, full, smoked ham/bacon flavor. Best eaten 'raw' or just lightly warmed. (i.e. tossed into a finished pasta dish). Try thin slices on good butter rye bread and you'll be in heaven.

I had a passionfruit creme brulee (somewhere in SF) that was made in following manner: vanilla creme brulee with a layer of strained passion fruit puree on top. Then, I believe, sugar was place on top and the whole 'bruleed'. The passion fruit layer was like a crisp glaze and added a great citrusy-tart-floral counterpoint to the creme. I haven't tried it at home yet but it is on my list to try and recreate some time. I could also picture this working well in a panna cotta dish--assuming that there is nothing in the passionfruit to inhibit the gelatin from setting up. I would probably try it as a top layer rather than incorporating the puree into the gelatin. I've mentioned it elsewhere on the boards, but another nice use of passion fruit puree is just to swirl it (incompletely) into whipped cream in the manner of a fool. This is great as a fillilng for individual meringue cups (hints of Pavlova) or for cream puffs. I could aslo picture this going very well as a topping for cut up fruit like peaches...

A local institution in New Britain, CT since the early part of the 20th century is Capitol Lunch. They serve a half beef/half pork dog with skin casing that just snaps in your mouth. The topping is mustard, raw onions and their 'secret' chili sauce. My parents experimented a bit at home and found out that their sauce is very close to Cincinatti chili--i.e. a Greek inspired chili sauce. (The original owners of Capitol lunch had some Greek heritage, I believe). We made them at home on my last visit and they were great. The brand of hot dog is called something like "Rossel's" or "Russels"-- my parent's didn't know the spelling but I think they are made in CT. I ususally like my dogs grilled, but for the combo described above, boiled is de rigeur to get the nice snap. When I googled a bit (unsuccessfully) to find the proper name of the Rossel (sic) hot dog, I dd find this article that talks a bit about CT and New Jersey hot dog tradtions: click edited to add: Check out egulleteer website HollyEats for great reviews of hot dogs joints on the northeastern seaboard.

Your summary of Quince matches my own--great selections of apps, homemade pastas and main course seafood dishes. Two of us ordered a halibut dish there a few months ago and it was the best halibut dish I've ever had. It was absolutely fresh and was cooked perfectly. I can't wait to go back there. Thanks also for the review of Aqua. I haven't been there in quite a few years (in the era of Michael Mina) but am happy to hear that it is still a worth destination.

Thank you for the wondeful sounding recipe Sarah. I think it's pretty self explanatory once you get started. Click on RecipeGullet at the top of the page. Then look on left margin for "add recipe to RecipeGullet" (it's in red typeface). In addition to pasting the text in, you'll be asked to do a few other things like pick a recipe category and some key words. Mette: Thanks for the lovely photos of the cherries in your post... and congrats on your cherry pie. The marzipan lattice is an interesting way to incorporate almonds with cherries--- a great combination.

Thanks Kevin! Sorry to come back with more questions, but if it's easy to give the ingredient amounts for your recipe I would appreciate it--the non-custard version sounds good.

A favorite treat, even when in season. Like little bites of frozen cherry heaven. ← Here is an excellent use for frozen cherries especially when the temperature is over 100 as it is now in the Central California Valley. Put a cup and a half of frozen cherries, two ice cold cans of 7-UP, about four scoops of sorbet or sherbet and the juice of half a lemon. Blend it and pour it into a glass that has been sitting in your freezer for several hours. Use a spoon that has also been in the freezer. This is the most refreshing drink you will ever taste. We used to call them "freezes" but I don't see them around any more. You can also use strawberries or peaches but too me cherries make the best freezes. ← Thanks joaquin; this sounds really nice! Fresh sweet cherries also make a great dessert or snack served alongside a triple creme cheese like Brilliant Savarin and some crusty bread.

That looks and sounds great. Are the toasted almonds just stirred into the gelato as it freezes or are they steeped in the milk/custard mixture? As a kid I really liked the Good Humor "Toasted Almond Bar" and would love to re-create this gelato...

Ricotta ice cream--the texture and flavor are just great!

I was going to suggest the very same recipe! I've made it many times and it is very good and is durable as the recipe notes suggest. (I cut slices using a bread knife). I've brought it picnics. If the temp isn't very hot it doesn't need refrigeration either. (I've always made it with sliced almonds).

Granitas are also nice (and non-dairy). I especially like the rougher texture in the summer.

Lightly sugared and sliced strawberries and bananas in heavy cream with a piece of rye toast.

Similar to the quiche idea above, but some sort of savory tart would be nice. Pehaps leeks, eggs and cheese or another vegetable with proscuitto? I don't have the book, but I've also seen a nice 'Mediterranean' tuna tart in Linda Dannenberg's book, "French Tarts". It uses canned albarcore tuna. The rest of the menu sounds very nice already. A nice French rose wine would go well and is also economical.

Somehow a not overly sweet cream cheese frosting seems like it would work well with this. I picture the cake being pretty sweet and the cream cheese would tend to counteract this a bit. If I was trying it for the first time I would probably make a plain cream cheese frosting, but I am curious how a citrus-flavored (lime, lemon or orange) version would be with it.

A small point, but as one can notice in Ann_T's photo, a nice way to serve hummus is with some additional good olive oil pooled on top. (I usually make a depression in the middle). I also like to garnish with freshly chopped parsley, both for taste and presentation. Thanks for the smoked paprika idea; that sounds like a great idea.

Time to make cannoli, cassata, cheesecake... The pasta con le sarde looks and sounds delicious. I am definately going to try this myself. Thank you!

How long a drive is it to French Laundry and Manresa? If any of you have any experiences with it - can a good hotel concierge be helpful with the reservations? I'm not sure we want to do this - but I'd like to get the relevant information - and decide what to do. Robyn ← Both are ~ 45-60 min away from SF, depending on traffic.

He will be eating at one of the colleges (not sure which one) part of the time. Thanks so much for the replies everyone. It sounds like a worthwhile effort to try some of the places outside of town. I may come back with a question or two and hopefully will have some feedback (secondhand--but reliable!) after the trip.

Blueberries are everywhere down here. Every vendor at the farmers market offers local blueberries. To me, blueberries alone aren't all that exciting, but when combined with other more tart berries, they're great. ← If you haven't tried it, a nice pie combo is blackberries and blueberries. One of my New England cookbooks has a recipe for a "black and blue pie". - half blackberries and half blueberries. (~ 2 cups blue, ~ 2 cups blackberries, 3 Tbs flour, 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1 Tbs lemon juice). I tried it first last summer and think I may like it better than my 'plain' blueberry pie. Thanks again for a lovely Southern food blog and for letting us see your new kitchen 'in action'. Your trip to Breadman's brought back fond Chapel Hilll memories too. We used to go there or to Mama Dip's for many a Sunday brunch/dinner.

No, it's an entirely white flour bread but it's one of the most flavorful I've tried (even without the walnuts). It occurs to me that the Baking with Julia thread may contain a discussion of it (but I haven't searched yet; my dial-up connection is extra sluggish today). ← Thanks for the tip, yslee. I found some discussion on the walnut bread starting here, on page 10 and continuing thru page 11. (I didn't look further for right now).

I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed... ← Yes this is what I am describing, they lose all of their green and turn a very dull color despite the ice water bath. I guess there is no way to prevent this then? ← I'm all ears if someone else knows... I need to check next time how quickly the color does change!

I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed...

Can't wait to see the finished pudding. The red currants look so beautiful. My mom has a currant bush back East but it's no help out here... I can buy currants during a short window out here but they are very dear. The currant-port jelly sounds excellent as well. Thanks for posting the recipe and photos.

I love roasted green chiles from New Mexico, so if I was traveling to Arizona, I would see if they were available. They may also grow them in Arizona, I'm not sure. They are a variant on Anaheim chiles but have more heat and a more distinct flavor. They're perishable though, so one needs means to bring them back frozen, in some type of cooler. High quality red chile powder is easier to bring back. This is made from the the ripened versions of the green chiles above. One source of good quality red chile is Chimayo (also in New Mexico) but there may be good Arizona versions as well. You can probably buy canned pozole in Rhode Island, but you may enjoy comparing it with the dried pozole you can buy in Arizona. Sladeums already mentioned a lot of good options, including canela (Mexcian cinammon).

I think a summer Southern vegetable plate would be fun as well, it's something I love to do. You have already cooked a lot of great traditional Southern side dishes, but there are so many good ones and you have a great source of material at your markets. I can't remember if you have made any okra yet. Lots of suggestions in this thread. Cornbread is always a nice accompaniement. Lots of possiblities for desserts--buttermilk pie with a fruit sauce, regular or chocolate chess pie, strawberry shortcake, peach cobbler, coconut cream pie... Or perhaps people would like to see the famous shrimp and grits; that could be served with greens and sliced tomatoes... But hey, it is you and your family's vacation week! Maybe you feel like something else... Thanks again, for a great week of foodblogging.