Sandra Levine

So sorry this thread turned up when I was away. This is one of my favorite sauces and I've posted about it elsewhere. For the record, I always remove the seeds, I always use basil, some in the maceratiohn, some added at the end. I sometimes use small cubes of mozzarella, I sometimes use slivered calamata or nicoise olives. I always use the best olive oil I have in the house and macerate the seeded tomatoes for a couple of house before adding to the pasta.

Rosemary in the cavity, to be exact. Then, I sauteed both chickens for five minutes on each side in olive oil, using Toby's fabulously-seasoned cast-iron pans, turned the birds on their backs, sprinkled them with sea salt and roasted them at 375 for 45 minutes, ending at 425 for the last 10-15, turning them twice during the roasting. No basting. Soba and Toby -- thank you for pulling this together. Not only was it fun, but the food was delicious.

During our recent week in South Florida, we had a few notable meals. Right in Deerfield Beach (where my father lives) we found a very good sushi place called Masamune, at 310 S. Federal Highway, Deerfield Beach. We shared a "Chef's selection," for two, which included 2 miso soups, 2 salads, 16 pieces of nigiri sushi, a rainbow roll and 2 eel hand rolls for $33. The fish was beautifully fresh and varied, but since I didn't take notes, I cannot list the specific types. I don't know anything about sake, but the sake list was extensive and the restaurant offers sake-fish pairings that we may try another time. On our way to Key West, where we spent two days in the middle of our visit, we stopped at the Islamorada Fish Market for excellent grilled mahi-mahi sandwiches that were served with a small mound of spiced french fries. Good! In Key West, we stayed at Heron House, more like a small hotel than a B & B, on Simonton Street, in the heart of the historic district, but away from the tacky madness of Duval Street. We booked a couple of days in advance through Expedia for slightly less than the rack rate. If we had known how lovely this hotel is we probably would have stayed for two nights rather than one. The high point of our Key West trip-let was a visit to the Little White House, where President Truman used to take long working vacations. I'm old enough to remember Truman, so this was a lot of fun for me. The Little White House is on the grounds of the former naval station (now condos.) We had dinner at Blue Heaven, a rather self-conscious "Bahamian" place. You sit in the courtyard under an almond tree with canvas above and standing fans to push the humid air around a little. Somehow, even for an air-conditioning lover like me, it's ok in Key West. We had rum punches (not as good as in Trinidad or Tobago or Dominica.) Alan had Caribbean barbecued shrimpt with jerk seasoning that he wasn't sure about at first, but came to like better with each taste. I had Florida lobster tail with an expertly made citrus beurre blanc. Both plates were loaded with sides -- corn off the cob, fresh string beans, a rather solid, heavy and unsweet cornbread that Alan liked better than I did. His plate also had black beans and plaintains. The Florida lobster tail (spiny lobster) was coarser and less sweet than the best Maine lobster, but the beurre blanc added some refinement to the dish. Alan drank Kalik, "beer of the Bahamas," a pilsener that comes with a slice of lime, which he eschewed. He says it was perfect with seafood. Of course, no visit to my father is complete without a stop at Tom's Ribs, on Federal Highway in Boca Raton. We tend to have the baby back ribs. The ribs are smoky, the sauce is tomatoey and mildly sweet. Sides like collards, coleslaw and black peas are fine examples of their kind. We love this place.

Are miniature pappadums last year's thing? If they are not passe, they make a nice canape to be topped by, maybe, something with a "curry" flavor.

Banana Jam (this is supposed to be Indian!) 8 ripe bananas, mashed 3 medium lemons 3 cups sugar 3 cups water a piece of fresh ginger about an inch on each side, peeled cloves, to taste 1. Peel the lemons, cutting the zest into thin strips. Set aside. 2. Juice the lemons. 3. Make a simple syrup by boiling the sugar and water for about ten minutes. Add the lemon juice, rind, bananas, the chunk of ginger and cloves. 4. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid scorching. Remove the ginger before transfering to sterilized canning jars. The jam will be a pale yellow mush. You don't even need to test it for jelling. Do you make jam? If not, I've posted detailed insructions on the cooking thread in answer to a request on preserves and canning.

Banana Jam.. never thought of it.... sounds nice. Maybe I can make some of SA's banana chutney and try making some jam. I have a recipe for banana jam at home and I will post it tonight. It is truly delicious and very unusual. It is very easy to make.

Biscuits were the first thing I ever cooked. In the dark ages, when I was in 7th grade, girls took cooking and boys took wood shop. Think of what you are doing now at the junior high level. I don't remember the recipe we were taught, buy I do remember the technique, which I use to the present day. I love biscuits, and rarely make them the same way twice. Very basically, I put a cup of AP flour into a bowl, stir in a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons or so of baking powder, or 1 teaspoon of baking power and one teaspoon of baking soda if I know that I will be using buttermilk. I fluff this in the bowl until I feel the salt and baking powder are well distributed. Then I cut in 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter, using two knives, holding one in each hand, about an inch apart, blades parallel, and cut in opposite directions until the butter is the size of small peas. I add milk or buttermilk, a little at a time and stir with a fork until the dough comes together. I knead the dough lightly until it forms a ball, then press or roll it out to about 3/4" on a very lightly floured board. I cut the biscuits with a 2" round cutter, and bake on an ungreased cookie pan at 400-450 degrees F. for about 12 minutes. I have made these with White Lily flour, and I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour, King Arthur or Hecker's, but I'm a northerner, so what do I know. Sometimes I make cream biscuits. Omit the butter, and whip some heavy cream (1/2 cup for 1 cup of flour) until it's in soft peaks. Mix the cream into the flour, salt and baking powder mixture. These may be even better.

But a good writer could make you care. Gopnik, by taking another route, wasted that opportunity.

I wonder how they would compare to cuy.

But he doesn't include eGullet as one of his links!

On vacation in the Caribbean.

Visit any Indian grocery.

It's spelled "capybara." It's a rodent, isn't it? How could it possibly be kosher?

I thought that was spelled, "nuttin'

When Alan mentioned to his Ecuadorean receptionist that he knew of a cuy quest in progress, she responded, sniffily, that they are eaten only by people in the "mountains."

Don't be fooled by the porky allusion: they are two different species, both cute. Hedgehogs are spiky, not furry.

It's the low-acid items that are the potential trouble makers. It you stick to making fruit james, jellies and preserves, you needn't worry. It you make very small quantities that you can keep in the refrigerator, you don't even have to worry about processing those properly, although it is not hard to do. You hear a lot about pectin, in reference to preserving. Pectin is the substance that causes jelling. Certain fruits are high in pectin, others are low. Underripe fruit has more pectin than ripe fruit, as do the skins. Apples, grapes, cranberries, currants and quinces have high pectin; apricots, blueberries, peaches, strawberries have low pectin. Nevertheless, strawberries jam is easy to make. Even the low-pectin fruits can be made to jell with enough cooking and boiling down of the juice, if necessary. In general, the easiest type of preserve to make is jam. Before starting, bring a big, deep pot of water to the boil. Put the canning jars in the boiling water and keep them boiling for about 15 minutes to sterilize them. To do it with the greatest degree of safety, use jars that come with a two-part lid, made by Mason or Ball. The actual lid is a flat metal disc with a rubber seal that presses against the glass jar. These are used once and discarded. The lids are secured by a screw-on metal band, once the jars are filled and the lids are placed on top. You want to use somewhat less sugar (by volume) than quantity of fruit, say, about 3/4 cup of sugar for every cup of fruit. Use only perfect fruit, and cut it before cooking into appropriate sized pieces. Peel, if necessary, before proceeding. Combine the fruit and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan much taller than you think you need. Cook, stirrring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to prevent the mixture from threatening to boil over. You will see why it is important to use a large enough and deep enough pan. The mixture will begin to thicken. To test to see if it has actually jelled (it can take from 15 - 40 minutes, depending on the amount of pectin in the fruit) dip a metal spoon into the jam, hold it tipped so the jam runs off the side and observe the drops. At first they are merely syrupy. At one point, two drops will form at the same time and drop together. (This is a thin jell.) Wait a little longer and the drops will form a sheet, for a thicker jelly. You can further test by letting a few drops drip into a plate and observing the thickness as the drops cool. When you have your jam, remove the jars from the boiling water, drain and fill, using a wide-mouth funnel. Dip the jar lids into the boiling water and seal the bottles. Leave about 1/2 inch at the top. Put the sealed and filled jam jars back into the boiling water and cook further for about 15 minutes. This is called a water-bath process. (If you are making just one or two jars that you will keep in the refrigerator, this step is unnecessary, although sterlizling the jars is always a good idea, in my opinion.) As the jars cool, if you have used a two part canning lid (Ball or Mason), there will be a loud pop, as a partial vacuum is formed and the lid becomes slightly concave. his is your assurance that you have achieved a good seal. If it doesn't happen, just store the jar in the fridge. The above is the proper way to do it, but many people, including me, will just re-use whatever jar is handy and hope for the best, figuring that the acid and sugar are adequate preservatives. Commerical pectin is available and people use it, but it requires more sugar and to me, the point of homemade jam is the intensity of the flavor that you simply do not get in a commercial product. I've never used pectin. If I find some especially delicious fruit, I very often make a jar or two of jam or jelly with it. If you really are interested in canning and preserving, the basic book on the topic is the Ball Blue Book. Fine Preserving, by Catherine Plagemann with annotations by M.F.K. Fisher has some very good recipes, but I don't know if it is still in print. It does not go into the basics the wall the Ball Blue Book does. The Joy of Cooking also has detailed basic instructions. If you plan to can non-acid foods, like mushrooms, or vegetables, theprocess is far more complicated and requires a pressure cooker for processing.

Well, we're not surprised Congratualtions, Rochelle.

On the India board there is a discussion of pickles and a couple of recipes for lemon pickles that I think could be adapted for limes. Indian pickles

Are you trying to remove them from the pan using a spatula? That would tear them. Instead, just loosen an edge and turn the pan upside down, give it a shake if necessary and the crepe will fall out onto the plate you have conveniently placed beneath. If absolutely necessary, tap the bottom of the pan with a big spoon a couple of times.

Avocado, tomato, red onion and watercress are good together, too. Also, watercress, orange and red onion. (This is very good with simply sauteed fish. Rather than using a blue-cheese dressing, I prefer to add some feta cheese to the greens.

Ideally, the salad should be prepared in front of you, with appropriate ceremony, like Crepes Suzettes.

Italian muscats.

For me it also depends if I'm making a salad as a starter for part of a bigger meal Steven, what do you put in your vinaigrette and in what proportions?

Maybe not now, buy years ago, with the old oven....mmmmm. Edit: Just read the review. CLAM PIES! CANNED CLAM PIES! I love clams in New Haven and even at Lombardi's on a good night, but at DeLorenzo's! How dare they. I'm offended and affronted.