Sandra Levine

I'm not Nina, but I'll jump in anyway. I usually serve the guests a cava or other methode champenoise wine, somethimes dropping in a sugar cube soaked with bitters and calling it "champagne cocktail."

Rachel, I'll remind you of this at the proper time. Seriously, I agree, from experience, with everything you say. However, I've noticed that even though some very young children will readily accept new foods and strong or exotic tastes, they often later enter a phase of resistance and need to be re-introduced to the same foods they loved as toddlers. It's a strange phenomenon. Also, some children are more susceptible to peer pressure than others. This, of course, is a larger, but related parenting issue.

Or, come over to the cooking board and tell us more.

This is very intriguing. Where does one obtain green walnuts? Do you have to find a walnut tree and do it yourself or can they be purchased somewhere? If the latter, what kind of food store (ethnicity) is likely to carry them? Edit: Oh, I see -- Armenian wlanut preserves -- I guess I can try a Middle Eastern grocery. What is the season for green walnuts?

Cabrales, you made feel as if I were there. I haven't yet eaten in the restaurant, but always stop by to gape at the room (remember, I am as interested in architecture as I am in food, and the space is significant in that regard.) Thanks for the wonderful post. I'm sorry you were disappointed by the dish that you had looked forward to for so long, but often, the expectation surpasses the realization.

There is room on eGullet for discussing boiled eggs and potato gratin and, indeed, dishes far more complex than that. Can't it be done without tedious argument? (I recognize that I am contributing to the tedious argument.)

Steve and Robert -- thank you. I would add that I enjoy eGullet discussions far more than argument for the sake of argument, which gets tedious, resolves nothing, threatens to become ad hominen, and takes up space that could be used for sharing genuine information.

Maybe it was the use of "cheap" rather than "simple." that set some teeth on edge. There was, in fact, a discussion on chicken soup, just as you described, many months ago, before you joined. http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...hl=chicken+soup

Not really. I point out that you turn the heat off after putting the corn in the pot and that it can sit for 20 minutes or so without overcooking. When I learned this technique, I found it valuable and worth sharing with others. I don't disagree with you that complex food is more interesting to read and write about, but sometimes even simple things do have nuances that are worth exploring. I don't know why corn has only 19 responses. Maybe because corn is so seasonal and it is not yet the season. Maybe because people on that thread are not arguing with themselves and each other.

The very first response to that thread has a recipe for corn. Yes, it is simple and submitted by someone who never posts reviews of 3-star restaurants, so I guess it didn't capture your attention.

It becomes a thick puree. You need 8 ripe bananas, mashed; 3 lemons, 3 cups of sugar, a couple of chunks of peeled fresh ginger, and some cloves, if you like them. Make a simple syrup of the sugar and water and boil for about 10 minutes. Add the juice of the lemons, the rind, cut into thin strips, the bananas, the ginger and cloves. Continue simmering for 30-45 minutes, stirring enough so that it doesn't stick. Remove the ginger before packing into jars. I read about this jam in Catherine Plaemann's book, Fine Preserving, which says it is of Indian origin. I'm skeptical, but that's my nature.

I make banana jam, flavored with lemon and fresh ginger, that I've never seen outside my own home. I like it a lot.

Nina, didn't you mention that DiFara's is not air-conditioned? For me, that means waiting until the fall.

I would add, use of a wood-fired, rather than coal oven.

I wonder if that is why lettuce is sometimes added to the pot when cooking peas, as well as a pinch of sugar. The technique of roasting is the simplest way of concentrating flavor, since the process causes the water in the vegetables to evaporate.

It's easy to see, with those quantities, why professionals weighrther than measure ingredients.

I agree. That is why Rosengarten is off the air. But, I watched him and so did others. What percentage of Saveur's readers consist of chefs and "amateurs? I strongly suspect, not as many as you'd think, or they would have articles such as those you have suggested.

I remember David Rosengarten doing just that on "Taste" on the Food Network. You see where that got him.

Fat-Guy has already been there and done that, although not everyone will agree writh every evaluation. We're New Yorkers, you know. Fat-Guy's pizza reviews

Lesley, both of those as you've described sound so delicious If you are willing I would be extremely grateful for both recipes. For comparison, my brownie recipe follows: 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 5 oz. unsalted butter (1/3 stick) 6 oz. sugar (1 cup) 2 unbeaten eggs 2 oz flour (1/2 cup) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt Melt chocolate and butter together. Off heat, stir in remaining ingredients until just incorporated. Bake in a greased and floured 8" pan at 350 degrees F. for 23 minutes, until top looks dry. The inside will still be quite wet, but will firm up as it cools. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Chopped nuts can be added, if desired. I prefer brown sugar in this recipe.

I'm telling the truth

I've never had one and want to keep it that way.

Perhaps it was a Tokay d'Alsace? This wine is now called pinot gris due to EU regs. I believe. It is pinot gris from Alsace -- very full-bodied and flavorful, but in a less perfume-y way than Gewurtz.

I've with you vicariously. Great report.

Maybe, maybe not. There are plenty of people who might enjoy the magazine purely on the gastro-porn level and who have never stood in front of the stove. That being said, I agree that Saveur seems to have lost its way. (n.b. again, I have not read the hamburger article, and probably should have stayed out of the discussion) I, for one, am grateful for eGullet, where I have learned more than I ever learned from any food magazine, well, in recent years anyway. The food world has changed; and those of us who have lived long enough have also changed. Not everyone or every pubication has kept pace. BTW, Steve, I thought you had said somewhere that the secret of your hamburgers was in the shaping. Here, you say something abour garlic powder. Do you shape the burger around a chip of ice to keep the interior rare while the outside chars? (Forgive my descent to such a low level.)