chow guy

When I make fruit sushi, I roll the completed (sweetened, filled rice rolls) in very good coco powder or with toasted coconut or toasted almonds.

Thanks so much for your wonderful blog... I always enjoy your posts. Have a very Happy Birthday.

I've never been a morning juice drinker. Besides, if I'm going for carbs, there are more interesting ways of enjoying them than frozen oj.

I've had La Bella before, and I agree, they're very good. And the shipping is very reasonable. I assume that was $12 total for 2 cases, not $12 per case? BTW, are those 28 oz cans? Thanks. ← I find Quality System Approval ISO9001:200I listed, but...I don't see DOP anywhere on the La Bella can. Does that mean they are not DOP?

I make a cream sauce with smoked salmon, scallions, capers and fresh chives and sometimes I go crazy and add wasabi. You have to watch reducing the cream too much, so it's not too thick.

I've always had great luck with Tequila Lime Cream for shrimp. Just add lemon and lime juice (with zest) to sour cream and mayo, a dash of worchestershire sauce and a hit of wasabi.

My first apartment was on Mott at Spring Street in NYC, where I adopted: Tortellini en Brodo Pasta Putanesca Fried rice and Hot and sour soup I still find great comfort in these dishes.

When I was in college in NYC, my apartment was on Mott Street. I remember the ritual of reeling bleary eyed into Hung Fat for hot and sour soup and pork fried rice. Years later in New Orleans, I remember great drunken gumbo at the Copper Kettle (or was it Copper Pot?) in the Quarter.

I add stock or two extra flavor packets to accomodate the add ons Top add ons 1. scallions 2. dark sesame oil 3. frozen stir fry veggies 4. Whatever I have left over or frozen (shrimp, chicken) Less often add ons 1. Lemon grass, 2. kaffir lime leaves, 3. chili paste with garlic 4. Duck, scallops

The biggest problem I've observered is that all too often, the kitchen is not quite ready by the opening bell (I was even served an undercooked quail at the first seating at Chez Panisse). Also the soup of the day or other specials are not offered yet and I resent being treated like an"early bird" by the staff.

I have difficulty eating the same thing two days in a row. So, for lunch, I made a Thai style Tom Yum Turkey soup with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and sambal chili/garlic paste. I added a few of the last remaing tomatoes from my garden and some portabello and shitake mushrooms (left over from the sttuffing fixins). The rich turkey stock was great with the spicy,sour, sweet flavors of the other ingredients. Dinner was ravioli with Marinara sauce and a salad. Today we'll have a replay of T Day dinner with all the trimmings. Turkey, yukon gold mashed potatoes, wild mushroom stuffing, caramalized baby onions on a bed of rainbow kale, etc.

These look like they're actually quite doable. Thanks

I brined with: Kosher salt, sugar, water, black peppercorns, corriander seeds, red chile flakes, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds, fresh thyme, garlic, cloves, carrots, leeks, onions.

I wasn't thinking in terms of wild mushrooms for stuffing this year but your post has piqued some interest. Would you care to share your recipe?

So, thanks to tip pooling, I'm supposed to be guilted into paying out a 20% tip for bad service just so the good waiter (which I didn't get this time around ) is going to suffer because I'm not properly tipping the moron who poorly served me? Think again, pal. Not that I plan on eating at Per Se anytime soon but since I don't agree with the flat rate service charge I will take my dining dollars elsewhere. ← Exactly my "sediments"! And I'll bet, It won't take very long for the really good wait staff to find other jobs.

In the eighties I worked at Doubles at the Sherry Netherland Hotel and The River Club in the River House on East 58th street. They were very exclusive private clubs that were filled daily, with large parties of Chanel clad, fully quaffed and perfectly pedigreed, ladies, in full tonsorial splendor, drinking champagne, martinis and stingers. Are these clubs still in existence? I loved the documetary about the recording of the "Company" sound track. It was heartbreaking watching Ms. Strich do "Ladies Who Lunch" for so many takes but... the final result was no less than brilliant.

I have the same ones in my fridge from Costco waiting for turkey day. They will last a long time if kept dry. I blanch them in boiling water but even then, they often don't stay whole. After blanching, I dry them really well and brown them in an EVO/butter combo and then deglaze with dry sherry. I serve them on individual nests of rainbow chard. The're not as rich as creamed onions but still very tasty.

The same exact thing happened to me. When I got out of the army in 1970, the GI Bill wouldn't pay for the CIA. It was very expensive even way back then. I've wondered how my life would be different, if I had gone. My friend who graduated from the CIA went into the corporate sector, which seemed to be a major focus back then.

I freeze any left over duck bones, till I have several carcasses saved. I brown the frozen bones for an hour (till golden brown) before making stock. Also if you can buy duck wings (I get them at the Chinese market) cut them with a cleever at the joints and add to the stock. It makes excellent duck stock.

Great link. Thanks

I always like original one word names. How about Siddhi? It means accomplished one in sanskrit.

The most romantic meal would be on an outdoor patio very close to the ocean. The lighting would be a full moon and it's reflection on the surf and candles on the table. The music would be the sound of the sea. The aroma, salt air and the sweet smell of night blooming Cerus. I enjoyed a meal in just such a setting. It was in Hawaii at a home that had been inhabitted by RL Stevenson. It was a remakable evening.

It is selling on amazon for 14cents. ← Such a Deal

Hands down my favorite new cookbook this year is "With a Measure of Grace" published by Provecho Press. It's one of those readable cookbooks with a well written back story, fantastic photographs by Eric Swanson and great recipes. Several of them, including the honey chile and the pinon salad dressings, butterscotch pudding and jalapeno and avacado cream soup have made it into my repertoire.

I often thin down the stacks removing (mostly Christmas gifts) with titles like" Flower Cookery and "Entertaining Without Alcohol for Business and Pleasure" But, I have to laugh because I also can't part with classics like,"Mastering the Art of French Cooking vol.1", "The Wind In The Willows" and "The I Ching", that have no bindings left and have to be read like the dead sea scrolls. I thought about several cookbooks I wish I still had: The Alice B Toklas cookbook, Myra Breckenridge Cookbook and some Elizabeth David classics that have somehow disappeared.