Moopheus

Early reviews are a problem because readers tend to forget them by the time the book comes out. In this forum, however, I'd guess that will be less of an issue. At your author's discount, that would only cost you $187,436. Plus shipping. The real qustion is, when will the half-price review copies show up at the Strand?

Has this issue ever been definatively resolved? I have had several Italians insist to me that it was the other way around: Marco Polo brought pasta to China. ← There is evidence that Italians were making pasta, or at least something very much like it, before Marco Polo. Even leaving aside the question of whether Marco Polo even got to China, as at least some historians now believe he never got further than Persia, and much of what he knew about China was probably second-or third-hand information picked up from other traders.

Maple syrup

Corriher is pretty good at explaining things and knows her stuff, though her book is not organized to be used as a reference. If your looking for some piece of information, as opposed to a recipe, it can be hard to find.

I don't have it at hand right at the moment, but there is such a recipe in the Angelika Kitchen cookbook, The Angelica Home Kitchen.

We just had a couple of cupcakes at Eleni's in Chelsea Market and I thought they were pretty good. The cake part was a little on the small side, but was good chocolate cake. The frosting was buttery, had a good chocolate flavor and was very sweet--the kind of frosting that's almost a little crunchy 'cause there's so much sugar. And there was a large pile of it, considering the size of the cake. I know some people here are averse to sweet things being sweet, but this cupcake was clearly constructed with someone like me in mind--seeing the cupcake as merely an excuse to indulge in the frosting, and it was almost enough to sate my nearly inssatiable sweet tooth.

I assume you mean Star of India, not Taste of India. The first time we ate there the bill did not seem to be what we thought it would be from the menu; possibly they are a bit challenged in this area. I don't think there's any place in the neighborhood that can actually deliver food before it's cold. Whenever we get take out I go and pick it up myself. I find I get my food a lot faster that way.

It's probably easier to find a line of work where you actually get to strangle people.

Yes, I think most traditional recipes would say al dente, though as I understand it, not to the point where the center of the grain is still hard and crunchy. It should be cooked but not soft.

But isn't the markup similar on other beverages as well? A bottle of San Pelligrino water at any restuarant that has it is likely to be at least two or three times the cost at the supermarket, and they don't even need a separate license to sell that. A cup of coffee costs 4 or 5 times what it costs me to make it myself, and usually isn't as good. How much of the cost at the restaurant is to cover the cost of the liquor license? Whay do people pay inflated prices for alcohol at bars when they could drink for less at home? Aren't you paying for more than just what's in your glass? How much is that worth to you? The restaurant probably figures that people aren't buying expensive wines unless they can afford it, so why not make the money where they can?

I was assuming at least a bowl and a spoon.

hot fudge sauce (homemade, of course) whipped cream maple syrup You did say dessert island, didn't you?

I've encountered kosher Italian bakeries here and there, so there must be a market for it. If the bakery is kept kosher under rabbinical supervision, you might try contacting the organization that provides the certification. They maybe be able to give you some guidance as to what they would consider acceptable ingredients for dairy, parve, and so on, what can be mixed with what. I've been told (by the proofreader who worked on it) that the book How To Keep Kosher, by Lise Stern is very good guide to the basic rules of kashrut.

EBo's is where I go when I'm feeling nostalgic for home (or happen to get tricked into going to Macy's), and I like it, but I usually end up wishing it were Tosci's or Christina's instead. Or Bart's. Or even J.P. Licks. But especially Bart's. Damn you, now I need to do a road trip.

I have an old two-speed Oster Classic that works great. It doesn't see a huge amount of work but has always done whatever I've put into it. But the newer ones of the same design seem more cheaply made (and at half the retail price we paid, and made in China, most likely are); I'm not sure I'd buy the same one again.

That's funny, that's something I was thinking about trying to make this summer. I'll have to go there and see what they came up with. I've tried Chinatown Ice Cream Factory a couple of times and was rather underwhelmed. The flavors struck me as being pretty weak and the ice cream itself was only so-so. There used to be a nice ice cream shop in Brooklyn called Peter's, but sadly they went out of business a few years ago.

The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and the Laboratorio del Gelato. I have heard that the gelato at Otto is good, but I have never been able to go there to try it. In fact, the only reason I want to go there is to try the gelato.

I'm glad to hear some praise for Nina brand canned tomatoes, because I bought a can last week that I haven't tried yet. ← I've used those, and they're not bad at all. They seem to be generally pretty easy to get around here. I also like Muir Glen tomatoes, especially the "fire roasted" variety. The thing about Italian tomatoes is that they're almost always packed with basil, and as much as I like basil, I don't always want it in every recipe.

L'Ecole, at the French Culinary Institute, serves a rotating menu of traditional regional French dishes. $30 or so for a 4 or 5 course menu seems pretty cheap for what you get (but then, the kitchen staff pays to work there!)

Consider that when Hobart first instroduced the KA mixer back in 1915 or thereabouts, the original price was $189, more than a month's wage for many workers. Comparitively, today's machines are incredibly cheap.

Gourmet Garage carries Pomi. Also probably not the cheapest place, but almost certainyl cheaper than Dean & Deluca.

A carbon steel wok will rust if you don't clean it and dry it right after use. Good woks are not expensive. A hand-hammered wok can be had for $10-15 at Asian markets. A useful tip from Grace Young: try to flex the bowl of the wok. A good wok should give a little, but not a lot. If it bends too easily, don't buy.

A 12" square cake? Around here that's maybe six servings.

Would you include pesto in that? Hazan's recipe for basil pesto includes butter. I tried it her way once and it didn't thrill me.

Yes, it's worth noting here that while DOP San Marzano tomatoes are nice to have when you can get your hands on them at a good price, it doesn't necessarily mean that other canned tomatoes are bad; in fact they may be perfectly good, and those 3-kilo cans are often quite cheap for what you get.