chow guy

I love a caramelized onion tart with fesh figs and a garnish of balsamic syrup.

This weekend I was In Flagstaff and I met Blake Spalding, one of the partners and chefs at Hell's Backbone Grill which is in nearby Boulder Utah. The place is all about "place based" foods (a la Chez Panis) and Ms. Spalding even reminds me a little of Alice Waters. I got a very very good impression, and though I've never been to the place...I've already begun to plan a pilgrimage there for next summer (12 hours from here in New Mexico). I bought chef Spaldings new cookbook "With A Measure of Grace" which has very quickly become my favorite cookbook. Not only are the recipes terrific, but the photographs and the text are also excellent. Several friends have raved about the food and the whole dining experience. The reviews on line look great too. There is also a nice looking Inn next to the restaurant ( with really good off seasion prices). They will open for the season this weekend. Check out the web site at www.hellsbackbonegrill.com

My mommy used to make a baby lamb cake with coconut coat and jellybean eyes. It would sit in the green grass( from the Easter basket) with Cadbury eggs and marshmallow ckicks around it.

I'm off to Flagstaff and would love to hear any recomendations for meals while I'm there. Thanks.

My favorite duck confit dish is ravioli in a rich duck broth with sage and wild mushrooms .

Thanks for posting the recipe. This was one of my favorite moles from the Iguana on a visit last summer. I'm curious about a few things: Avacado leaves :Fresh? Dry? Why? I'm assuming you should remove cloves and cinnamon sticks before blending ?

Putanesca is my fave... with angel hair when I need it really fast.

Guppymo, Welcome and thanks for the post. Your rolls are beautiful. I have some garlic chives coming up already in my garden. I'm going to look for the sauce and make them next week. Thanks Again

Your point is well taken. I have a whole lot less tolerence when price points are high and attitude is snooty. Gloves are not such a big issue with me since I've seen staff wearing filthy gloves etc.

I'm with you. I grew up in NY with Wise. I can't get them out West so I 've elevated them to cult status. Love those dark ones. I also say... Nix on Lays.

I always add poached fennel, marinated mushrooms and eggplant caponta to mine.

I hate that there are so many fashion and food police theses days to tell everyone what's hot and what's not..I'm always aghast at what some of these guys are wearing/eating themselves.... That said....Let's hear it for veal or chicken cordon bleu. As soon as the Atkins people put out the word... it will have a new run.

Your post reminds me of a dinner party I threw. After my dinnner guests finished dipping the leaves I made them relinquish the artichoke bottoms so I could use the in a pasta sauce. A few folks were miffed. I don't think I'd be as cheeky today.

Exactly my predicament... I love Dulce de Leche too. I try not to buy it often because I can't stop eating it till it's gone. I've been smitten with the charms and silky texture (or is it just an my imagination?) of the new Creme Brulee flavor.

Vanilla Ice cream infused with black pepper and a basil syrup Seared scallops with a white chocolate sauce Peacan pie with red or green New Mexico chile

Chufi, It was an outstanding blog...Thank You. Now I'm going to have to try and make scallops crusted with porcini and crisp sweetbreads with celeriac mash. My mouth was watering looking at the pictures.

We moved from South Florida where there was a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables all year long to a remote area in Central New Mexico where not much grows (and it was 57 miles one way to the store). I felt better eating meat again. For me being vegetarian meant always being ever so slighly hungry... which was not a good state for me to be in.

I'm going to a Losar potluck Wednsday and bringing an Artichoke and Mushroom Lasgana with three cheeses with a saffron scented tomato sauce.

I've put ketsup on scrambled eggs since I was a kid..Still do... but no other egg preparations.

I don't like the pot luck idea at all and I think it's a great idea to have a per head charge to take some of the burden off the host. Thanks so much for you wonderful blog. It was fun seeing some local spots in a new light and I even recognized some folks in your great photographs.

Perfect answer!

Sorry... Thanks for tip.

Your dinner party looks great and the menu is right up my alley. I've been in dining clubs in the past where everybody tried to outdo each other. Good simple delicious food would do me just fine. I'm curious about the rules of the club. Does the monthly host pay for everything? I've been trying to get a quarterly dining club going again since monthly won't work with our busy friends. I've gotten resistance from folks about the host being responsible for the whole meal. Several folks want to do it pot luck style. I guess it's my control freak showing but I'd rather see the comlpete meal so people don't resort to their usual pot luck standards. I'm also a huge fan of key limes. I buy them on a regular basis at Lowes Supermarket (a very unlikely spot) which is located on Lomas Boulevard at 12th Street. They usually have them at the amazing price of 15 limes for a dollar.

I doubt it would work for a restaurant since it's very pricey ( they only grow small quantities) and as I recall it has a much richer flavor than HH"s does.

The chiles are one of the shortcuts I use - they come pre-chopped and frozen in 4oz bags and sold 10 bags to a package at Costco. They look like chiles you might get out of a can, but these actually are pretty hot, so that's why I continue to buy them. When its roasting time (fall), I will buy roasted green chiles in ziploc bags at the farmers market or in local grocery stores and then freeze them. Usually they are partly peeled and have their top attached at that point so a little work needs to be done yet before they can be used in recipes. Andrea http://tenacity.net ← I always have some chopped Costco chiles in the freezer too. They are quite good.But.... I got some killer Chile (frozen in large baggies) from Matt Romero for a gig I did at the Santa Fe Farmers Market . He sells at the market weekly (even in winter at El Museo). He and his family have bred an exceptional green chile with HUGE flavor and HUGE heat. I have forgotten what he called it but I'll be up there again on the 12th to do another gig, I'll get the name.